She Walked Through Fear
by moonlight.soul.FIRE
Summary: Looks like Seigaku has to go camping again, but the host is some scary girl with kitchen appliences as weapons. And worse, another tennis team is coming along. Now mayhem will be set upon the poor host in this novel of awkward teen love and tennis… Chapters 20 and on are written by a new author, Mooney's Friend! Chapters 30 and on are funtastic fillers!
1. The Host and Haunted Cabin

This is a story about the Prince of Tennis characters, and my own character, Shinku Yuzani

This is a story about the Prince of Tennis characters, and my own character, Shinku Yuzani. A story where a simple girl, with a great love of tennis meets up with Seigaku and various other Tennis Teams, who knows what mayhem will endure, and who knew it would all start with a Country Cabin? Also, since when were other Tennis Teams coming to the same cabin?

"Speak "- Speaking

_**Speak**_- Thoughts

Speak- Actions

Pairings

Kaidoh x OC, slight Kamio x An

Disclaimer: I **do not** own Prince of Tennis.

Leaves scraped under bare, feet, labored breath slicing still wind. The running human somehow was able to stand, let alone run. Her legs continued to thrust in front of her, catching thorns, leaves, bugs, almost anything that caught and scratched the bare flesh of her limbs.

The girl's hand caught onto branches and shrubbery, grasping to keep balance. Moonlight led the afflicted female to stumble upon a wooden cabin that was clean of woods and forests for a couple meters. With upturned lips, she slowly walked into the cabin, whispering lightly,

"I'm home again." All was inarticulate after she slammed the door closed.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

"Nyah! Occhibi look out the window, the trees are so pretty ne?!" A certain redhead pointed in the direction of the scenery behind thick glass. With an outstretched finger, he pestered a younger boy to look out the window at the thicket. The adolescent sighed loudly and replied to the happy ball of spirit, who showed a strange great elation for trees.

"Mada Mada Dane," The famous remark of Ryoma Echizen didn't seem to reduce the redhead's energy.

"Really, Eiji, I don't see the beauty in the Pine Trees and gravel. I mean we are going to be training our tails off, so what's so good about it?" Momo Takeshi stated, turning around to his Seigaku Tennis Club teammates.

The elder Ryuzaki growled in disapproval, somehow giving the illusion of fire and lightning behind her, a threatening scowl plastered on her aged face.

"Do you want double the pain in you training?!" Ryuzaki hissed, injecting each syllable with spite, Seigaku could almost swear they heard her voice echo. She caught Inui passing out some sort of violet-blue concoction to Seigaku.

Sakuno stood in front of her obaa-chan, "Please don't anger her," Sakuno squeaked spinelessly. _**Most likely she's on menopause anyway…**_Sakuno shook herself from her inner thoughts, and sat back down, just to prevent herself from doing anything else to embarrass herself.

The Seigaku boys were thinking similar insults to Sakuno's thoughts, even though they all clung to their seats for dear life, almost vibrating the seats. Fuji and Tezuka were the only ones who weren't fazed by the death threats. Not surprising. Fuji kept his same, somewhat creepy, smile, while Tezuka just crossed his arms and stared ahead into the large bus seat in front of him.

"…So…Why are we going farther into the woods this time to train?" Momo asked, not really expecting an answer from the frightened boys. Inui came up with a logical answer for Momo's question, he carefully chose his words, just so the elder Ryuzaki didn't blow a fuse and break out with punishment on his beloved Inui Juice, which had recently been place in front of every Seigaku member.

"Well this cabin is closer to the more…dangerous mountains, so I'm guessing that the term 'Survival of the Fittest' actually applies to your situation in training." Inui smirked as he scribbled madly in his notebook.

"Also, I hear that the owner of the cabin inherited the area from recently deceased grandparents. She's letting people stay at her cabin for almost free." Ryuzaki confronted the boys proudly.

"SHE?!" Most of the Seigaku boys yelled in unison, their empty minds randomly filled with beautiful, tall, svelte women baking pastries, doing laundry and making the team feel like kings who lived large and idly. Ryuzaki snapped her fingers, taking the boys out of their trance of 'men's fantasy'.

"You shouldn't get too comfortable; this girl is a little ball of sarcasm and has a very rude, sadistic nature. She could just snap you boys like a whip. That's another reason I chose her cabin, I don't even think she's older than any of you." The Seigaku boy's dreams were crushed by her words; they all groaned and slapped their foreheads.

"Great…" Each member said in unison, they gaped at each other in confusion. They spent way too much time together.

"Fsshhh…" Kaidoh Kaoru looked out the window in boredom, watching the obscure forest pass by rapidly. Fuji who sat beside the reptile impersonator, also peered pass the glass and watched the nature fall behind, as more trees emerged from the shadows. A blur of white caught his eye; the color passing by was pure as new snow, it looked to be hair._** A g-ghost?! A great this house is haunted too?! **_Kaidoh's face turned to the same color as the moving objects hair, he shivered and felt a strong urge to jump up and make a run for it. _**Great I'm still in this **__**bus**_…_**Therefore I cannot run, man why does there have to be a ghost here? This really sucks.**_

Fuji looked at his friend in concern. Kaidoh's face was almost an unhealthy egg-white. He kept his smile on and patted Kaidoh's shoulder jokingly.

"What's wrong buddy? You see a ghost?" Fuji chuckled lightly and waited for his teammate to speak. His waiting was short, as Kaidoh's voice erupted quickly.

Kaidoh stared back at Fuji with a menacing glare, not uttering a single stutter, only the slight shaky hiss every few seconds.

"Er….Calm down Kaidoh, I was just kidding with you." Fuji's smile twitched nervously, trying to keep his teammate from jumping out of the bus window.

"So just calm down and enjoy the nature pass you by, the ride will be over soon, and there are no such things as ghosts." Fuji leaned back and placed his hands behind his head, tangling his fingers in the chocolate brown tresses. He napped quietly. Or so it seemed, no one really new, he always kept his eyes closed for some odd unexplained reason. Kaidoh hissed at the joking nature of Fuji, he really didn't want to be played with at the moment, especially when he think he just witnessed a ghostly figure.

Momo was twisted around in his seat and started a conversation with Eiji, his topic was of course, what the girl at the house would look like.

"So Eiji, what do you think the girl would look like? I wonder if she will be cute." Momo blushed and fantasized about the girl who would be hosting them at her cabin.

"Maybe ne, hopefully she will be cute. Nyah! I can imagine her now, long shiny hair, a cute face with beautiful eyes. Hopefully she will be pretty tall, not short like Echizen." Ryoma looked over to the two immature women chasers, he frowned childishly at the short pun, he began to recite his daily known quote, until Momo stopped him with the continuing of the pointless conversation.

"Yeah, and since her grandparents just died we can comfort her with our hugs and affection, she will be astounded by our manly muscles and will bake us our favorite foods! Maybe even burgers!" Momo boasted greatly, his voice rising on each word, his fantasy was going overboard. Had he forgotten what Ryuzaki said? She is sarcastic, sadistic, and mean, how could someone with that personality swoon over the Seigaku boys?

"Mada Mada Dane, you don't have muscles, Momo-Senpai. Besides I doubt she'll want any of your company, you'll probably scare her off."

"Watch it kid, she _will_ fall for my manliness, and I do so have muscles!" Momo yelled at the little American boy. Oishi held Momo down in his seat to prevent him from pulling his shirt off to show such 'assets'. Echizen was about to continue his rant, but luckily Eiji covered his mouth, muting the younger boy's words.

"Oi! You shouldn't be caring about her looks, you should be caring whether she is even going to take care of you or not! Besides I am the prettiest, Sakuno and me!" Tomoka piped up in her cheerleader uniform throwing a pompom at Momo. The area behind Momo seemed to be dark with the illusion of fire, scary… Even though Momo never started a fight with Tomoka, he would most certainly lose.

"Who does she think she is?" Horio mumbled, but Tomoka unfortunately heard the insult. She growled and squealed in a deadly high pitched voice that would make a dog crawl over and die. The verbal fight raged on, while Tomoka also hit Horio with her pompom, fueling the feud. The Tennis Team boys watched in horror as Horio's fate was now in the clutches of Tomoka….Which wasn't a very good option. So they decided to take a nap and wait to wake up to witness the outcomes of the fight.

When the Seigaku Team woke up they saw Horio half-dead on the ground, Tomoka with a grumpy expression. They didn't really want to know the details of the fight. Ryuzaki shook her head in shame at the poor dimwitted boy. She looked up and yelled to the boys of Seigaku behind her.

"Hey boys! We're here! Are you ready for backbreaking training?!" The boys gulped and nodded their heads nervously. They really _weren't_ ready for backbreaking training, but maybe the cabin owner would give them back massages. Yeah.. _Right_...

_**New and improved spacer.**_

They walked up to the cabin, which had an odd aura around it; the cabin looked to have been very old, just recently cleaned up. Seigaku shivered at the looks of the house, it didn't really look…welcoming. Sakuno and Tomoka weren't there to clean the cabin or shine the place with their presence.

Now they were scared of the girl they hadn't even met.

What if she was sarcastic and evil? What would happen to them being stuck in a house with a little girl who hated them, made the place feel unwelcome, and tortured them until they slowly died inside? They almost broke down then and there, Kaidoh was about to make a run for it. Now that they were outside he could run away, back to his home, this place definitely felt haunted. Oishi and Momo kept him back, restraining him from fleeing from what seemed to be a crime scene of emotional death. The place felt that scary.

Ryuzaki even felt a bit nervous, her fist slowly rose to the door, the moment seeming to last forever, her hand rising to the wooden entry in slower than slow motion. Sweat dripping off each and every person there. The door flew open, a single silhouette standing in the deep and ominous shadows. Some of Seigaku jumped back in fear time seeming to freeze as the indistinct figure step out of the shadows.

"Welcome." The figure said, somehow sounding ghostly and fearsome, the arm stretched out for a proper greeting, revealing an unhealthy pale and luminous arm. Eyes widened, breath was lost, and all that was heard were the Seigaku boys screaming bloody murder in the quiet afternoon.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Author's Note:

So what do you think for my first chapter?

Reviews, and Critics welcome, thanks!


	2. Shinku Yuzani

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis!**

"Speak"- Speaking

_**Speak**_- Thinking

Speak- Actions

Flashback -

"_Welcome." The figure said, somehow sounding ghostly and fearsome, the arm stretched out for a proper greeting, revealing a pale and luminous arm with shining skin reflecting the sun. Eyes widened, breath was lost, and all that was heard were the Seigaku boys screaming bloody murder in the quiet afternoon._

_**New and improved spacer.**_

The poor female host, what a rude greeting, gaining such a reaction. She tries to hold out her hand for a handshake, but no, they just had to scream. To her it was quite crude, they look at her oddly colored arm, and scream, she had a couple words for them, but she held her fuming rage inside. The girl stepped outside of the shadows, revealing her natural identity. Some of the boy's jaws sunk into the hard soil, in front of them stood someone they didn't expect.

The girl in front of them wasn't any taller the Ryoma, her hair a greasy white. Her tresses almost matched her skin color. No wonder they thought her arm was zombie-like. Another thing they noticed that her hair only reached her chin, so her hair is very short, a bit of a guy touch. She raised her head to them, sweeping her bangs to expose her large yellow eyes.

"I'm sorry for alarming you with my abnormally pale skin, but that was a simple greeting I was trying to perform. Let me try the traditional bow instead." She bowed to the group. As the boys bowed back, they continued their examination. She wore a skin tight, black tank top, it showed small curves; which weren't full on sexy curves, because a thirteen year old isn't really accustomed for such a womanly body.

"Oh sorry, I forgot to give my name," Her voice hinted small sarcasm; it went unnoticed so she continued, "Well I'm Yuzani Shinku, and I would prefer you to call me by my last name: Yuzani." The girl's voice sounded calming, even though she didn't really look peaceful. The pale teenager stepped aside for the Seigaku team to pass.

"Well you're not going to stand out there all day are you?" Shinku was being oddly kind, but she pretty much had to be kind and not kill the guests who have been staring at her for no apparent reason. Oops, I guess she did see them staring, that's genuinely not good for the Seigaku team.

Shinku followed behind and locked the door behind her, she quickly strolled in front of the boys, "So would you like to see your rooms first, or do you want something to eat?" Momo was about to yell out eat, but Ryuzaki covered his mouth and initially uttered the first couple of words.

"Actually I think you should show them their rooms, and then I will take them off your hands so you can cook in peace." Whitey gestured a nod to her guests and guided them upstairs. She led them to a large hallway and slid open the doors, displaying the immense space inside. Their room was fairly large, and nice and comfortable size for about nine boys to sleep in.

"Nyah! It's huge! Arigato Shinku-chan!" Eiji embraced the fragile girl into a bone crushing hug, the poor girl couldn't breathe, she also couldn't hold her anger any longer.

"Yeah this place is pretty big, thanks Yuzani-sa-"

**SLAM**

"Ow…"

"Never touch me again, or more damage will be inflicted onto your pathetic soul. You got it?" As Oishi was interrupted he looked around to see Eiji on the floor, his left cheek a disgusting purple. Everyone could pretty much tell that Eiji had violated Shinku's space and paid the price with pain.

She warned them, Ryuzaki-Sensei warned them, and they didn't listen.

Now they know, to not touch Shinku, they most likely will not be making that mistake again. They looked at Eiji in horror, she really didn't take any mercy, nor did she really care that she just clocked their teammate.

"Sorry but I don't like to be hugged, or basically touched in any way. It's a paranoia thing." Shinku crossed her arms, as though she was the victim. Eiji's intentions weren't bad, he just wanted to show his great appreciation to the girl, but then again you shouldn't hug a stranger. Especially when she is a short girl who could break out in disciplinary actions within seconds. Seigaku grimaced at the effects of their hostess, now they know to not mess with someone so…Well they could say homicidal if they pushed her the wrong way.

"Hehe I told you she was dangerous, maybe next time you will believe your elders! Alright so you saw your room, now let's get out of here and begin your training!" The boys groaned in distress, that didn't sound like something they really wanted to endure.

"Watch your backs." That answer was expected from Tezuka, but this time, they probably would have to watch their backs. Seigaku walked out nervous to begin training, leaving Shinku with cooking dinner.

"Nyah! I can't breathe! Is this really necessary?!" Eiji yelled out in pain, and enormous amount of weight on his back, a broad bandage was place on his cheek, only covering about half of the aching bruise; immense pain throbbed within the teenager.

"You bet, you won't learn anything this way! Now double time Kikumaru! Keep up the pace or it is triple the Inui Juice for you!" Ryuzaki bellowed joyfully from Kikumaru's back. Wait… On Eiji's back?

Looks like he paid an even larger price for his error, but not just Eiji was getting a hard time.

Inui was following Taka with a pitcher of his latest Inui elixir, too bad Taka doesn't have a tennis racket with him of he could just outrun everyone, but sadly their rackets were confiscated from them. Fuji was just running ahead of everyone, for various reasons, like he wanted to keep everyone on their feet; no one really knew what to threaten him with. Oishi, sadly, ran behind Momo and Kaidoh, which ended up in him being caught in the middle. Momo pushed and shoved, trying to knock Kaidoh out of the way. Kaidoh, being preoccupied with his own thoughts almost stumbled over from Momo's constant struggling. Ryoma somehow was in front of most of the Seigaku members, but Tezuka was close behind almost towering Ryoma with his dark and looming shadow.

It wasn't long until they all fell down out of exhaustion.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Meanwhile at the old cabin, Shinku struggled to stir the giant pot of noodles with her lanky arms.

"If I knew it would be this hard to cook for about twelve teenage boys I wouldn't have opened this place up for rent. Why are these hard to cook? That's it, I'm never getting this brand again." Shinku grunted, having difficulty stirring noodles in a figure eight motion like she learned.

Shinku was humming quietly and placing knots of noodles onto plates for the boys, who most likely would eat the plates themselves if Ryuzaki trained them that roughly. A large smashing sound was heard from the doorway, Shinku turned off the stove and went to go and open the door, as her hand reached to the knob the door flung open, piles of boys, along with Ryuzaki, spilled all around the entryway, they knocked over Shinku. All the boys scurried away from Shinku, fearing whatever she may do if they had been sprawled across her any longer.

"Well come come pigs, time for your dinner." Shinku stood up and dusted the dirt and sweat off of her apron.

"Oh thank you Shin- I mean Yuzani-chan." Momo obviously listening to what Shinku said. They ran into the kitchen to have a nice dinner, and hopefully not be pummeled by Ryuzaki or any other female in the house.

"Wow this smells really good Yuzani-chan!" Several Seigaku members said in glee, Shinku on the other hand, growled at the nickname they gave her.

"That's Yuzani-san, also after you finish dinner I'm going to start your baths." The Seigaku members almost choked on their noodles, they had forgotten that they were going to take a bath... In Shinku's house.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Author's Note –

So what do you think of the second chapter?

Kaidoh: "So is the team really going to bath in your house?"

Shinku: "What do _you_ think?" (Insert sarcasm here.)

Author: Anyone bring any tasty coffee samples? Anyone? Anyone?..

Reviews loved and welcomed. Love Mooney!


	3. Pillow Fight of Doom

Disclaimer: (I do not own Prince of Tennis)

**Disclaimer: (I do not own Prince of Tennis)**

"Speak"- Speaking

_**Speak**_- Thinking

Speak- Actions

Flashback –

"_Wow this smells really good Yuzani-chan!" Several Seigaku members said in glee, Shinku on the other hand, growled at the nickname they gave her._

"_That's Yuzani-san, also after you finish dinner I'm going to start your baths." The Seigaku members almost choked on their noodles, they had forgotten that they were going to take a bath... In Shinku's house._

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Several members of Seigaku dropped there eating utensils and the broth from their noodles dripped from their noses. Shinku looked back and forth between the Tennis Team members. _**What? Are they afraid that I will be walking in on them while they're bathing? Or that I would put various poisonous animals in the bathroom? Maybe I should… Wait, I'm not supposed to be scaring them, even though that would be fun.**_

She shook her head vigorously, "I'm not going to peek on you, and it's not like I'm going to slowly kill you while you're bathing. Calm down, I'm not a monster. Hn, you guys are kind, now aren't you?" She began mumbling indistinctively, these guys really didn't trust her, and if Shinku actually care about being liked by strangers she would've felt hurt.

"Er, eh…Wait no, what we mean, by our expressions, is that we forgot that we were going to be bathing in your cabin and… What we mean is. We don't expect to be… " Oishi tried to mumble his way out of the confusing situation until Shinku stopped him with an exhausted sigh.

"Don't bother, your ramblings don't really make a difference, besides I'm the host of this cabin, and I highly doubt I would be curious to see the human anatomy of my guests." Shinku interrupted the sweating Oishi, hinting anger in her voice. Did they really think that she was a female pervert? The Tennis Team blushed, except for Tezuka, Fuji, and Inui of course.

Tezuka kept quiet, silently eating his dinner. Fuji was humming while he slurped down his food, his smile glued onto his face. Inui sat there, writing, writing...Moments passed as he wrote..._**What the heck is he writing?! **_Shinku yelled inwardly.

"Well if you guys are almost done, I'll go get the bath ready. I'll just come back and do the dishes afterwards." She walked into the bath area and turned on the warm water, running her fingers under the water to test the temperature.

_**Hm, these boys are crazy, trying to hug me, when I specifically told that old woman to tell them that I am overly sarcastic and rude, yet they greet me happily… Strange… And that kid in the bandana, I think the old lady said his name was Kaori, Kaidoh, er something like that, he's been keeping an eye on me, what is he afraid of short girls with white hair?.. .Hehe those guys are weird, weirder than me**_. Shinku's eyes suddenly opened and widen.

"Ouch!" Her hand swished out of the water, a burning sensation taking over her fingers; obviously Shinku's hand was under a bit too long, with the water way too hot. So she blew lightly on her hand, cooling the burn. Shinku stood up to exit the bathroom, but accidentally bumped into a bare, male, chest, she looked up to see the Kaidoh person and every other member from Seigaku. As he walked around her into the bathroom, along with the rest of Seigaku, Shinku let a river of pink cross her cheeks. When the door was closed, and they were completely out of hearing range, Shinku chuckled and whispered,

"Wow, they _really_ work out." She left to start the girl's bath.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

_Meanwhile in the Men's Bathroom..._

"This bath feels really soothing. A perfect temperature of water." Eiji said, sinking deeper into the warm water, salt formed around him, for some odd reason, why was there salt in the bath? The other Seigaku members felt the salt too, and they all turned to Ryoma.

"Ryoma!" Several boys yelled.

"Ryoma, what's with the salts, and why do they smell like honey?" Momo asked lifting up several particles of said salt. Ryoma glared coldly at the accusations they pinned on him.

"What? Yuzani had the new Sweetened Honeysuckle Lemon Bath Salts," He mumbled innocently, all the young tennis player wanted to do was show his obsession of trying out new bath salts while bathing, and it _was_ the newest scent, so how could he not try the bath salts? Ryoma sighed peacefully at the intoxicating smell, and then he remembered something.

_**Oh my gosh…this smells like Shinku's hair, that is weird… Ewww I don't even want to think about that now.**_ Ryoma, then ducked away into the hot water by impulse, soap or shampoo, well something found its foamy way into his eye.

"Momo! Baka, stop flinging shampoo everywhere!!" Ryoma barked angrily, Momo was seen 'trying' to wash his beloved hair. A fight could be sensed a mile away.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

"Oh um…Thanks for letting us stay here Y-Yuzani-sama," Sakuno said quietly, her voice almost going unnoticed by the female host. Shinku raised her head up from the water and simply nodded.

"No problem. Actually I'm supposed to sell it, so I won't have this place for very long. My family doesn't have the money to keep this cabin; we only have enough to keep it, until summer ends. Since this place is pretty beat up, it didn't cost that much, none the less, we can't keep it," Shinku answered lathering her hair.

"B-But-" Sakuno's words were shortened when a loud thump was heard next door in the boy's bathroom. Shinku stared at the opposite wall (Which separated the bathrooms), she walked over to the wall in her towel and started to slam her hand on the wall, yelling in the process.

"Stop fighting in there! Or I will not hesitate to go in there and throw soap at all of you!" The strange threat made everything quiet for a few moments, actually it was dead silent, and not even breathing could be heard. Shinku grinned in approval, _**I thought that would work**_. She tied her robe around herself and walked out of the bathroom.

"Just drain the water when you're done and I'll do the cleaning later." Shinku said, before leaving the bathroom for Sakuno and Tomoka.

Shinku shuffled to the storage closet and grabbed a couple extra blankets and pillows for the Seigaku boys. Packed down with blankets and other bedroom supplies she walked to the boy's room and opened their door.

"Hey guys I have-" another sentence went unfinished when a pillow hit the person behind a mountain of blankets and pillows, she fell over, dropping the items she held in her arms. Shinku was trapped under sleeping supplies, unable to breathe regularly; she pushed her hand out of the pile awaiting a hand to pick her up. Finally a strong arm pulled her out of the blankets. Her rescuer was Kaidoh.

"Fsshhh... You alright?" The snake impersonator asked, Shinku nodded, and picked up a pillow, fluffing it multiple times.

"So…Who threw that at me?" Everyone pointed to Eiji, which wasn't surprising, she flung the pillow towards Eiji, slamming him over the head. He fell over with a solid 'thump'. Everyone in the room looked at Shinku, _**Well that was unexpected**_… Again the Seigaku members thought something in unison.

They expected Shinku to throw Eiji out the window and give him another bruised cheek, not to fuel a pillow fight. Shinku covered a slight smirk and walked out of the room, not exchanging any 'colorful vocabulary' or telling Eiji to die in pain… or something. The Seigaku boys were completely stupefied by her 'calm' actions, until she came back in.

"Well I talked to Ryuzaki, and you guys are getting triple training tomorrow." The tired Seigaku members fell onto the floor in complete mortification, they were going to get pounded, all because they threw a pillow at Shinku... Harsh... Very harsh. It seems that she loves taking her anger out on total strangers. Shinku leered and then walked out. The boys finally went into slumber, before they had mental images of bone breaking training that they will have to undergo the next day.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Kaidoh opened his eyes, he sluggishly arose from his cot, the tall teenager clutched his burning throat. He was in great need of water, looking at the alarm clock he noticed that it wasn't any later than three in the morning, _**Great we have to get up in three hours... **_Kaidoh walked out of the room into the kitchen. A small profile, which seemed to be human, stood in the dark. Something got the attention of his nose,_** Is that person cooking?**_ He walked closer to the figured shadow, his hand stretched out in front of him.

"Hm? Kaidoh?" A voice mumbled just as Kaidoh's large hand placed itself on the head of…Shinku. What's Shinku doing up at three in the morning?.. Shinku stepped into the light, focusing her eyesight.

"So what are you doing down here?" She asked continuing her cooking, trying not to burn herself on the metal.

"Water." Kaidoh coughed a few times, his throat still blazing. Setting down her cooking supplies, Shinku grabbed a glass and filled it with cold water. Then she handed the filled glass to Kaidoh and walked back to the stove.

"I'm just here baking, in about two or three hours you're all going to come in with empty stomachs, so I need to fill you up enough so you throw up while training. It's either that, or I could feed your team antifreeze." Shinku chuckled devilishly. Kaidoh looked in horror, praying she didn't really mean that literally. He shivered slightly; almost choking the water down to prevent him from saying anything he would most likely regret. He put the empty glass into the kitchen sink, washed it and put the glass in the dishwasher. Kaidoh stepped behind Shinku and looked down into the 'cauldron' in which she continued her cooking.

"Fsshhh."

"Well I'm working on some Miso Soup, some rice with nori, and some grilled fish." Shinku wiped the side of her face pausing dramatically. Kaidoh cocked his head in confusion.

"Kaidoh," Shinku looked back at Kaidoh holding her face, Kaidoh held his breath, "…You just spit on me..." She took a wash rag and rubbed the side of her face. Kaidoh felt a strange urge to slap himself with her skillet. Shinku sniggered at his embarrassment.

"Well you should go back to bed Kaidoh, you're all going to wake up soon, better take in sleep now before your torture starts." Her voice being blunt and straightforward. Kaidoh glared curiously at her taunting voice, but headed back towards his room. Since he only had a few hours left he should really be thinking of sleeping.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Author's Note:

Well that's enough for this chapter,

I tried to put more so called 'teenage romance' between Kaidoh and Shinku in this chapter.

Hopefully it's noticeable enough.

Kaidoh: So how serious was she about the throwing up?

Author: All in time, dear Kaidoh..

Kaidoh: ...Can I be absent in the next chapter?

Shinku: No way, I want to see this.

(Nori : is a type of sea vegetable)

Mooney love all of you! Hearts for everyone!


	4. Skillet Love

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

"Speak"- Speaking

_**Speak**_- Thinking

Speak- Actions

Flashback –

"Well you should go back to bed Kaidoh, you're all going to wake up soon, better take in sleep now before your torture starts." Her voice was blunt and straightforward, Kaidoh glared curiously at her tauting voice, but headed back towards his room. Since he only had a few hours left he should really be thinking of sleeping.

------------------------------------------------------

Seigaku was in trouble, huge trouble. No…not huge trouble, colossal trouble, in fact, they were dead already.. Shinku was going to help with the training. So since Shinku was going to help, she was certainly going to push the Seigaku boys into a world of pain and agony, and maybe a couple tears.

Shinku held a menacing smirk on her lips. It was official, she was going to slaughter them, the hoped and prayed that mercy would be set upon them, even though that was nearly impossible. Looks like the girl was going to get her sweet (harsh) revenge. What exactly was the reason for her intentions anyway?

------------------------------------------------------

This situation was expected by Seigaku, to be clear, Shinku was well…chasing Kaidoh and Fuji with a skillet, provoking them to run faster down the tall hill, or risk having a face full of a metal kitchen appliance. Fuji seemed to be laughing while Kaidoh almost flew down the bumpy terrain. When Fuji, Kaidoh and Shinku reached the bottom of the hill they all almost dropped dead on the soil, panting heavily.

Kaidoh glared at the settled, and smooth grass, _**It's mocking me..**_ He told himself. The grass didn't have to be chased by Shinku, it didn't have to take a skillet to the head from Shinku, well maybe the grass would get pummeled by the skillet, but only if Shinku chose to take her anger out on the grassy areas… Shinku jumped up in glee, spinning her skillet between her fingers.

"Well that was a good run boys. Maybe next time you will believe me when I say I _will_ pummel you with a skillet, right Tezuka-san?"

Everyone turned to the buchou staring wide eyed at the huge bump on the back of his head. They gaped, the team members remembered the moment all too well, it made them laugh, cry, cringe in fear, and more conflicting emotions.

Flashback –

Tezuka sprinted down the steep hill, his legs unable to stop, Shinku swinging the skillet dangerously close to his head. Shinku taunted Tezuka, throwing threats and rude jokes around, aggravating the, easily annoyed, buchou.

"Run run run as fast as you can Tezuka! You don't want to get hit with the skillet do you? Haha run faster!" Tezuka could feel a vein popping out of his head, he had enough of this, she was going too far…**_Tiny, annoying, freakish, bratty, whelp-_** well he could go on, but the skillet was a bit too close for him to continue his inner ranting. So he did the unthinkable, he stopped in place, causing Shinku to slam into his broad chest.

"Huh?.." Shinku looked up at Tezuka after she slammed into his chest. Her 'intelligent' response was answered by a hushed and angered response from Tezuka, that made Shinku, shudder in fear. A staring contest emerged, and so far Teauka was winning.

"I've had enough of you, I've had enough with your threats, you don't scare me at all. So knock the tough act off and go back to the cabin and wait until we get back from our training. I don't want you 'helping', so just go away. Because I am plain sick and tired of you, a little girl, trying to kill us with a metal kitchen utensil!" Tezuka said firmly, his eyes glaring through Shinku. Veins cluttered his head, adding to the pitch black rings under rings eyes, and the famous scowl on his face. All he got was a half scoff from Shinku, after she recovered some of her courage and dignity that had escaped her.

"Aha...did y-you just order me? D-did you just tell me what to do, like a useless p-puppy?! I-I know you didn't order me, w-while you are living in _MY_ cabin! Ha, oh boy you are going to get it!" And he did, Shinku went into a firey rage, and the last thing heard was metal clashing with something, Tezuka's head.

------------------------------------------------------

Seigaku shivered at the actions of Shinku, she really didn't take anything lightly, because, she did whackTezuka upside the head with her skillet, leaving a large and clear bump. Tezuka crosses his arms in…Well not really embarrassment, because no one could actually debate that. So Tezuka just stared at a tree, his robotic face unmoving, except for the occasional blinking.

Tezuka cursed himself repeatedly, restraining the urge to force Shinku to sprint 80,000 laps while drinking Inui's juice, so afterwards she would be immoble to put up a fight against possible strangulation. Then he too could have revenge, oh how graphic and painful the scene would be. Oh yes, he would clean the place up, so the autopsy would be a confusing and challenge to reveal him as the culprit. Tezuka let his imagination grow, even though his face stood still. (Guess he was having his fun, ne?)

Ryuzaki chuckled quietly, so she was unheard by the grumpy buchou.

"Well shall we continue back home for some food?" The elder woman asked. Seigaku's Regulars nodded and walked back up the steep hill, going on a short journey back to the cabin, inwardly crying at their aching muscles and joints.

------------------------------------------------------

Shinku was stirring a heap of yakisoba noodles with one hand (Luckily a different brand), her other hand was occupied with the job of poking at carrots and various other vegetables. Momo took the liberty of hovering behind Shinku, in case there was any taste testing in need. Since he was breathing down Shinku's neck his hovering aggrivated Shinku. Momo breathing down her neck for food didn't really attract her. So Shinku gave into Momo's attempt to get a quick taste of her cooking, she lifted up a spoonful of carrots, and cabbage, which was part of her Yakisoba dish.

"Want some?" Momo looked back at her in confusion. _**Is she actually asking me to try some of her food? But Yakisoba isn't even one of my favorite dishes..**_ Kaidoh raised his bandana wielding head at the mention of Yakisoba. After mintues passed, Shinku was aggitated that Momo was taking too long to make such a simple decision, to either eat the vegetables, or to get lost. Finally he turned around the the table full of tennis boys.

"Hey Kaidoh, want to try the Yakisoba?" Momo pointed to Shinku's hanging arm that stretched out holding the spoonful of vegetables. He was leaning awfully close to Shinku, his hand placed by the stove. Kaidoh stood up and walked near Momo and Shinku, he took the spoon and swallowed the vegetable ingredients from her Yakisoba, a grin almost took place on his lips.

"OUCH! Ow ow oww!" Kaidoh felt carrot and cabbage juice erupt from his nose as the random outburst took its course. Momo's hand had been burned by the fiendish, acursed stove while he tried to perform his 'cool act'. Momo rushed over to the sink trying to cool down his hand, which had a strange red glow to it. Kaidoh hurriedly searched for some tissues, a napkin, something to keep him from spilling other food products out of his nose.

Shinku stood at the stove just stirring the dinner, watching a very entertaining scenario unfolding in front of her. She had to bite her fist to keep herslf from laughing her white hair off. Eiji's face turned beet red, his fist slamming on the table, while Fuji just laughed heartily, holding his chest to prevent hyperventilation. Oishi and Takashi sweat dropped and tried to quiet down the scene. Inui was...taking notes again. Tezuka just sat there, staring at nothing, as usual.

"Mada mada dane." Ryoma, of course, spoke out, sighing heavily. He put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. Shinku looked at the rambling boy in confusion, her eybrows arching. _**Cocky much?...**_ Shinku finished up the food and passed out plates and bowls of dinner, she was hoping that the dinner would be quiet, and hopefully not as chaotic.

------------------------------------------------------

Shinku was finishing washing the dishes so she could get to her bath, she'd rather wait for the guests in her cabin to finish, so she didn't have to endure the annoyance of the Seigaku boys. Her eyes wandered out of the window, watching the fields and forest that filled the surrounding area. A flash of blue caught her eye, a pencil-like neon glow darted across the sky, like a rabid sewing needle. She dropped the plate she held, soapy water filled her eyes, blurring her vision. The bright flash of lightning burned her overly-sensitive eyes. By instinct, Shinku franticly rubbed her eyes.

"I hate lightning storms, they make my eyes burn." She mumbled to herself. It sounds like lightning wasn't going to be rare this night. Thunder shook her cabin, causing Shinku to fall backwards onto her back. Shinku looked up, her irritated eyes focusing on the person who seemed to be floating over her. The obscure figure lifted Shinku off of the floor, back up to her feet. Shinku was ready to kill whatever laid it's hands on her, after she showed her appretions with a 'thanks'.

"Hn.. Are you okay? Fshhh." Shinku could tell it was Kaidoh, from his snake hissing sound, it was quite obvious too, because Kaidoh was the only one who would come within two feet of her, than the other teammates in the Seigaku Tennis Club. Shinku wiped the remaining soap out of her eyes.

"Eh, nothing, just the thunder and lightning startled me a bit."

"Hisss…A bit? You fell on your back and got soap in your eyes. Fsh.."

"Well what are you, a stalker? Why are you watching me anyway?" Shinku asked her irritated eyes looking into Kaidoh. Kaidoh was confused at her face, for some strange reason, her face looked like she was pouting, she seemed child-like. The expression startled Kaidoh.

"Er fshhh. There was no reason, I was just passing by the kitchen and saw you fall down.." Kaidoh crinkled his face in a disgusted manner, also known as his 'normal face', Shinku was barely fazed by his 'glare'. Her reply was less than affectionate.

"Whatever." Her reply nonchalantly, which greatly angered Kaidoh, his intense glare increasing by the passing seconds, Shinku chuckled at his expression.

Shinku's teasing ceased when a roaring orchestra of thunder and lightning caused Shinku to jump almost three feet in the air, which would've brought her feet up and over the top of his head. Kaidoh arched his eyebrow at the stumbling girl. Shinku waved her hands nervously.

"Well I have to go and get my bath ready now. See y-ya." Shinku stuttered and walked into the sink, a grunt escaped her, adding more mortification to her nervousness, and increasing the suspicion to Kaidoh's thoughts. Shinku turned around and headed for the bathroom, leaving Kaidoh by his self, alone with his own thoughts.

------------------------------------------------------

Shinku sat in the bathtub, a 'Citrus Cake' bath salt scent filling the bathroom. Her knees were up to her chin, her ears under water, muting the sound of lightning or thunder.

"Mom, please talk to me, what's with these guys? They are all so weird, but they bring me something I haven't felt, I feel like they can be a friend of mine, even thought it's only been two days. They don't run away when I beat them up, but they are spending most of the summer here by force, but it's different, Mom. Hm, I'll talk to you later, I need to get out of this bathtub before the water turns cold." Shinku finished her conversation with her seemingly deceased mother, since no one else was there.

She drained the water and stepped outside in her robe, heading to her room to get dressed. Shinku jumped when another round of thunder passed over the cabin.

"Yeah like she's not scared at all, fsh…" A voiced whispered from the end of the hall.

------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note –

So what did you guys think? I tried to put more Kaidoh x Shinku moments in this chapter, along with some humor moments. And wow, Shinku sure did take her sweet revenge on the Regulars. It seems now her favorite weapon is a metal kitchen utensil, maybe she would've been stronger with a sponge, or something. xD

Also what do you think of the pairing Kaidoh x Shinku?

(And if anyone didn't know, there is a reason this is called 'She Walked Through Fear', if no one noticed, Shinku looks like a ghost. She has pale white skin, pure white hair, and she is just plain scary at times. So basically, Shinku seems to break the barrier of Kaidoh's fear of ghosts.)

Pm me about the pairing. Or put it in a review, your choice

**NOTE - Shinku is NOT afraid of thunder and lightning, she is startled by the loud and noises of thunder, and lightning burns her eyes. As you can see by 'Her overly senseitive eyes'. Kaidoh just has a feeling that thunder and lightning is her fear, but it's NOT. (For those who think I'm giving her that fear, you're wrong. Shinku is afraid of something different.) She is just very paranoid - NOTE**

Review and comments are welcomed!


	5. Enter Tennis Team Here

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

"Speak"- Speaking

_**Speak**_- Thinking

Speak- Actions

Flashback –

"Mom, please talk to me, what's with these guys? They are all so weird, but they bring me something I haven't felt, I feel like they can be a friend of mine, even thought it's only been two days. They don't run away when I beat them up, but they are spending most of the summer here by force, but it's different, Mom. Hm, I'll talk to you later Mom, I need to get out of this bathtub before the water turns cold." Shinku finished her conversation with her seemingly deceased mother, after all, no one else was there.

She drained the water and stepped outside in her robe, heading to her room to get dressed. Shinku jumped when another round of thunder passed over the cabin.

"Yeah like she's not scared at all, fsh…" A voiced whispered from the end of the hall.

------------------------------------------------------

It had been about a week since the Seigaku boys came over to Shinku's cabin, and surprisingly she hasn't killed a single one of them, or harmed them in any way. Unless it involves a skillet, or any other metal kitchen appliance, then yes she did bring pain to them. Yes some of the boys caught her coming out of the bathroom in a towel, but she caught them coming out in pink towels, and she took pictures. Heck Shinku even smiled one time, but after confrontations from Seigaku she beat them with a spatula and egg beater. Even training had become a bit more fun with Shinku…when she was.. threatening them and chasing them with household weapons..but that was becoming rare. Shinku was actually withstanding the crazed people that she was forced to host, very surprising…

------------------------------------------------------

Shinku ran behind little Ryoma swinging a heavy metal item around. Ryoma, now became the victim of Shinku chasing him with the infamous skillet, specifically used for making injuries on the back of people's head. Ryoma ran as fast as his skinny little legs could take him, utter fear in the white of his eyes. Ryoma mumbled various uses for his quote 'Mada mada dane,' using it as curses, insults, threats and prayers, if that was even possible. Both Ryoma and Shinku were the ones leading in the running line, the members of Seigaku staring in interest, wondering if Ryoma was going to live of not. Shinku had been surprisingly nice and caring, but not when it came to their bone-breaking, soul-killing, take-my-life-now training. Seigaku bet that their little Occhibi would surely die.

"Don't resist your doom Echizen!" You know you cannot outrun me!" They reached the end of the line, to where they had to turn around and run back. Ryoma spun around and grabbed the skillet out of Shinku's hands and started chasing her with it. What a brilliant plan!

"Mada mada dane Yuzani-senpai!" He waved the kitchen utensil in the air right above her head, chasing her all the way back to the cabin with the metal weapon. The Seigaku members withheld laughs or smirks. Inui scribbled multiple pages of notes. Ryuzaki even laughed in pride of her smallest player.

------------------------------------------------------

The rest of Seigaku finally made it back to the cabin, when they got there Ryoma was sprawled out on the hard soil, with Shinku's foot on his back, the skillet back to its rightful owner. Shinku's eyes flamed, the handle of her skillet almost breaking in half, her knuckles as white as her hair. Now it goes to show, that you do not steal Shinku's beloved kitchen items. Some of the Seigaku boys laughed nervously at the situation the Occhibi was in. Their laughter was stopped by a sudden voice surrounding the area, a sort of mumbling sound.

Shinku also raised her head and stepped off of Ryoma to see what the noise was.

"What do you think we're nearing?" A foreign voice spoke out somewhere in the woods.

"The cabin should be around here.." Another echoed through the trees.

"We're lost aren't we buchou?"

"Be quiet." An aggravated murmur was heard.

"……….So where are we?..." Another person asked. Shinku finally spoke, or yelled to the unknown voices.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing on my property?! Who are you? Show yourselves!" She barked, the clamor causing the birds to scatter from the trees. Siegaku was shocked by her actions, she could get hurt if she just yelled randomly to people she didn't even know.

The group of people finally stepped out of the shadows, Seigaku looked so surprised, the group was Fudomine Middle School! What the heck were they doing at the cabin? Kippei Tachibana stepped forwards and spoke calmly.

"We are the Fudomine Tennis Regulars, isn't this the old cabin that was keeping tennis teams in for a small fee?" Shinku nodded and headed for the cabin, taking a notebook from a storage rack. She lifted up a notepad with several pages of writing, and signatures. Shinku flipped pages until hear eyes met with a page with several sentences of writing.

"I see. Sorry I forgot, so you are Fudomine? Here to train at my cabin? So you there are the captain, er.." Shinku skimmed through a couple more pages, "Ta-chi-bana right?" Kippei Tachibana nodded in answer to her question. Momo's face fell at the sight of Fudomine, his jaw digging into the terrain.

"Wait! We're going to be sharing a cabin with them?! For the whole summer?!" Momo Takeshi cried out, he did not want to spend his precious training time with Kamio, or any of the other Fudomine jerks. The only good thing was that Ann would be staying at the same cabin. Cute girls in a single cabin, that was pretty much Momo's lifelong dream. He went in and out of crying and happy/perverted moments. Boy, he sure had a case of mood swings...

"Well yeah, you guys are staying with each other, and I think another team, but they didn't give me a name, but they probably won't be coming anyway. So shall I show Fudomine their rooms then continue the training with Seigaku?" Seigaku waved their hands in despair.

"No no no! We don't have to continue our training! It's too close to dinner anyway." Several Seigaku members muttered, their faces flustered and sweaty, they most likely didn't want to face phase two of 'Shinku's Training'.

"Anyway, I'm Yuzani Shinku, the owner of this cabin and the host, who shall be serving and helping you. Call me Yuzani-san, not Yuzani-chan, and one more thing, don't refer to me by my first name." Shinku gave Fudomine a welcoming glare, some members cringed slightly, they just noticed her ivory colored hair, and the anger in her yellow eyes. Ryuzaki chuckled.

"Don't worry, the worst she would possible do to you is slam her skillet upside her head, but don't worry, it's not fatal." Ryuzaki laughed, the Fudomine Regulars sighed inwardly, fearing that Shinku might have placed a hex upon them.

"Anyway come with me so you can get the tour of the cabin, then I'll show you your room."

"Arigato Yuzani-san." Oh my- did every tennis club speak in unison? Anyway Fudomine followed her into the cabin, their shadows looming over the small, girl. Fudomine had a feeling they made a mistake coming to Yuzani's cabin.

An awkward silence, once again, hovered over the group of tennis players. Someone had to speak before they all went insane, so Ann Tachibana walked next to Shinku, feeling as though she need to start a conversation.

"Hey, cool so you're going to be our host? That's so awesome." Her bubbly voice strained the tolerance of noise within Shinku's eardrums. She stopped in place.

"Well yes, and not to be rude, but what are your names? I didn't get many the names when you called to come down here." She looked up at the Ann. Ann could almost hug Shinku, she was so short, she only came up to her collarbone, it almost mad her evil side look nice. Somehow Ann restrained herself. Ann stopped so she could point out the boys without running into walls.

"Oh well I'm Ann Tachibana, my brother Kippei is the captain," Ann pointed over to her onii-san, "The one with the blue hair is Shinji." Shinji looked up at his acknowledgement.

"Hey, I'm Kamio." Another redheaded boy raised his hand. He reminded Shinku of Eiji, except his hair was placed differently. His bangs covered one of his eyes, unlike Kikumaru's hair. The person named 'Kamio' pointed over to a boy with another bandana covering his head. Strangely some of these boys reminded Shinku of Seigaku.

"Over there's Tetsu Ishida."

Then he pointed to a boy with a strange hairstyle, it looked like Momo's but had a couple bangs in his face.

"He's Tatsunori Mori."

"I'm Masaya Sakurai," Said a boy with brown hair, which looked like some kind of 50's style. Ann pointed over to a boy with a black hat, which covered most of his face.

"He's Kyousuke Uchimura." Shinku nodded at the regulars and opened the door behind her.

"Well here is your room, just get comfortable while I start dinner." Ironic, they have been in front of their room all along, or maybe she just chose the room at random, no one really knew, no one really cared. Fudomine walked into their room and unpacked while Shinku went to make dinner.

"Well I have feeling this summer is going to be very interesting, Shinku-san seems to be closer to Seigaku, she acts very comfortable with them." Shinji blurted out, speaking his thoughts, again. He took a large risk in calling her by her first name, but that didn't stop his rambling. "We should probably stay away from her bad side; she has a very strong and scary energy. I wonder what we'll be having for dinner."

Shinji's random speech continued as his topics went off course, skipping from dinner to kittens, and so on. Most of the Fudomine regulars tuned out his babbling while they unpacked. Shinji was right though, this was going to be interesting.

------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note –

Yes I know, short chapter. I couldn't think of anything else after entering Fudomine.

Now there may be some Shinji x Shinku in the next chapter, but I'm not making any promises. You'll have to find out for yourself.

Shinji: Why am I going to be paired with Shinku-san?

Shinku: It's Yuzani-san.

Author: Time to stir a little jealousy! Yay. Besides, I need to have a little fun, a love triangle, that should do it for the next couple chapters!

Kaidoh: Fshhh.. You're confusing, a bit strange too, and why do you keep pulling me into the author's note section?

Author: Do you see what I have to work with? These guys don't even bring cake, or muffins to this section. (Shakes head) Tsk tsk.

Reviews and Comments welcomed! Hearts for you! x3


	6. When Outbursts Attack

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

"Speak"- Speaking

_**Speak**_- Thinking

Speak- Actions

Flashback –

"Well I have feeling this summer is going to be very interesting, Shinku-san seems to be closer to Seigaku, she acts very comfortable with them." Shinji blurted out, speaking his thoughts, again. He took a large risk in calling her by her first name, but that didn't stop his rambling. "We should probably stay away from her bad side; she has a very strong and scary energy. I wonder what we'll be having for dinner."

Shinji's random speech continued as his topics went off course, skipping from dinner to kittens, and so on. Most of the Fudomine regulars tuned out his babbling while they unpacked. Shinji was right though, this was going to be interesting.

------------------------------------------------------

Shinku worked on dinner while Ann helped out with setting the table, once again, Ann tried starting a conversation with Shinku.

"So um..Shinku is that really your natural hair color?" Ann tried not to sound offensive, but when people asked Shinku about her hair color, well that was just a very touchy topic. You do not touch her hair, talk about her hair, or mess with her hair.

Strange how obsessive Shinku is over her hair.. Shinku, being the person she is, she _actually_ was able to _hold_ her anger inside, answered calmly, I think.

"Yeah, this is my actually hair color, it's not dyed at all. Nope not at all." She struggled to keep her hand away from the knives. Shinku just continued to stir the broth that was going to end up being Miso Soup. All was quiet until, much to Shinku's dismay, Ann decided to talk again.

"So since you were with the Seigaku guys for a couple of days, what are they like? Oh what about Momo? Did you see them shirtless?! Oh this is so fun!" Ann had to gasp for air, her playful shrieks almost causing Shinku's ears to bleed. None the less Shinku decided to play along and teased Ann with various stories.

"Yeah, they're okay at times. Momo scares me a bit; he's always hovering over me when I'm cooking. And, I've seen them all without shirts on, and I must say, wel...just go check the picture on the refrigerator to see what I mean." Shinku chuckled crudely.

Ann, being greatly puzzled, walked over to the refrigerator to see something that made her fall on her back in complete laughter, which echoed throughout the whole house.

The picture Shinku mention was of Momo, Ryoma, Eiji, Kaidoh and all of the Seigaku team members dripping wet with water, wearing bright pink towels that stopped right above there knees. Most of the guys had a brick red face, except for Fuji of course who stood in place and smiled for the camera. Ann couldn't stop laughing she shook and kicked her legs, trying to catch at least a bit of breath. Fudomine and the Seigaku regulars ran in to see what was wrong, and what made such a racket.

"Ann-chan what's wrong?!" Kamio yelled, running over to Ann. He cocked his head at her laughing, wondering what could possible make Ann fall over in complete hysterical laughter. Ann pointed to the picture on the refrigerator. Fudomine took one look at the picture and was suddenly filled with laughter, their faces turning red. Some regulars even started to cry.

The Siegaku regular's faces sunk at the picture, she kept it on her refrigerator. Shinku actually posted the 'Pink Towel Incident' on her refrigerator! Eiji ran over to the refrigerator and ripped the picture down, ready to tear it into millions of tiny pieces.

"Rip the picture up Kikumaru, I have it on my computer, in fact, it's my screensaver. So don't even think about breaking my PC, or I'll surely kill you with a tiny plastic butter knife if you try." Eiji gulped, that didn't sound pleasant.

"But you posted it on the refrigerator?!" Momo yelled out, mortified that Ann saw him in a small pink towel. Shinku turned around to the regulars.

"Well yeah, I had to put the picture up there, I need a laugh in the morning, so I put your picture on the fridge. Is there anything wrong with that? If you have a problem, then speak." She grinned and crossed her arms. Seigaku cried their little anime tears. Shinku and Ann shook their heads.

"Well dinner is ready anyway, so get your plates ready."

------------------------------------------------------

When they finished their food, Shinku was left cleaning dished as usual, she chose to 'talk' to her mom again.

"Oh mother, mother mother.. these Fudomine boys are just as strange as the Seigaku regulars, and that Ann chick makes my ears hurt, but I don't really like talking to people I don't know very well, especially hyper girls. Again, these guys seemed suprised that just a kid is taking care of their lazy tennis butts. And that bluenette, Shinji I think..He's seems strange, also mumbles way too much. I don't know why..Hm oh well, hopefully I can tolerate these guys as well." Shinku sighed quietly when she was done talking.

"So we're weird too?" Someone just randomly popped up next to Shinku. She gasped and jumped a couple feet back, almost losing her traction on the floor. **_I'm guessing he's that Shinji person, why did he scare me like that?.._**

Shinji began helping Shinku washing some dishes, Shinku noticed that Shinji wore the same strait face like Tezuka had, even when she had insulted them.

"So you heard that eh? Sorry if I offended you in any way." Shinku's voice hinting sarcasm. He nodded and put some dishes in the dishwasher. He then left to go take that bath with everyone else, without exchanging anymore words. Shinku set the dishes down, she forgot to put extra towels in the bathroom, good thing all of the towels were still pink, Shinku grinned at her own cruelty.

------------------------------------------------------

_**(In the Boy's Bathroom..)**_

Ryoma was putting yet another bath salt in the water, he sniffed the sweet smelling salts.

"Hm, 'Watermelon Double Cherry'.." Ryoma sunk into the water smelling the intoxicating scent of the strangely named bath salt. Several regular from both schools looked strangely at Ryoma. He answered innocently, with a childish pout on his face.

"It's one of my favorite scents!" They sighed heavily, causing Ryoma to add on another 'Mada mada dane' to his explanations. A knock was heard, after another awkward silence, Shinji wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the sliding Japanese door.

"Shinku-san? What are you doing here?" The naked boys jumped into the water quickly, to hide anything…'revealing'. They knew that each of them were definitely going to be ridiculed by others after this moment ended. Shinji, on the other hand, showed no signs of embarrassment, in fact, his face was completely blank as he stared down at the small girl. Shinku held out some bottles of bathroom supplies, such as shampoo, soap and more, lovely, pink towels.

"Here, I forgot to put extra supplies in the bathroom for Fudomine, also, I prefer you to call me Yuzani-san, not Shinku-san." Shinji set the bottles and towels aside on a bathroom rack. He turned back to Shinku.

"Arigato, Shinku-san." Shinku frowned, pouting once again. Shinku walked off, mumbling something under her breath in the process.

"Nice abs," Shinku muttered, hoping her voice went ignored. The hair on the back of Shinji's neck stood up. _**Did she say what I thought she said? **_Shinji's face flushed at the thought, his robotic look took a hold of his face again as he closed the door.

------------------------------------------------------

Shinku finished drying her short hair, wrapped a robe around herself and walked to her room, which she shared with Ryuzaki, Sakuno, Tomoka and Ann. She searched for some pajamas. When she found some form of clothing she slipped into some soft black pants and a tank top with some kind of cartoon bunny on the front. She then remembered something.

_**I'm so careless, I need to give Fudomine extra blankets.**_ Shinku mentally slapped her head, then walked over to the storage closet to grab some blankets and pillows.

Shinku held another large stack of blankets and pillows, she knocked on the door, while trying to hold up her mountain of bed supplies. She heard the door open and walked inside.

"Well here are your pillows and blankets, sorry I didn't get them to you sooner, but taking care of a group of childish teenagers made me forget about the rest of you." She set the heap of pillows and blankets down on the floor for them.

"Arigato Shinku-san," Shinji said as he took a blanket and pillow, making his bed. Shinku was getting aggrivated, which is necessarily good for Shinji. She sighed heavily, sooner or later she was going to show him the power of her skillet.

"Call me Yuzani-san." Shinku walked out of the room back into her room, someone's eyes following her.

------------------------------------------------------

Shinku was up again, heading towards the kitchen, but she bumped into someone on the way there, someone shorter than her, _**I'm guessing it's Ryoma**_, she guessed wisely, Ryoma stepped into the moonlight to see her.

"Yuzani-senpai?" He asked as he squinted his eyes into focus.

"Yes Echizen?" Ryoma simply nodded and head towards the bathroom,_** I guess he just wanted to see who was in the hallway. **_

Shinku continued her way down the dark hall into the kitchen to start baking. Her thoughts told place in her mind again, like a mental diary. Her topics consisting of Kaidoh, Shinji, mostly all the guys in the cabin, she almost burned herself while she zoned in and out, not very smart of Shinku.

------------------------------------------------------

Kaidoh almost couldn't sleep that night, he was thinking about when Shinku came to the guy's bathroom with extra towels and soaps. He was already under the water when she came, so he was scrambling in like the others, so he witnessed Shinji talking to Shinku. Shinku didn't kill him when he called her 'Shinku-san'.

Kaidoh mentally slapped himself at his own thoughts, why was he thinking about the girl so much? He didn't like her..did he? No, of course not, he'd never like anyone like her.

He shouldn't even be thinking about that. What was he feeling anyway? It felt like something he had not felt before, something inside him burned, it was very strange. Deep internal hatred that burned off of his desire to kill females, maybe? Maybe he could ask Inui later, or something.

All was silent, the wind blew quietly, peace was set on the cabin, until a scream shook the house.

------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note –

Aha! A cliffhanger!

Now who screamed? Who or what caused the scream? All in the next chapter people…And I think it's a bit obvious now that Shinku is a closet pervert, ne?

(And Is it me or is this fanfic become a bit of a soap opera?)

Now for a poll. Of course a pairing poll

So which pairing do you think is better?

Shinji x Shinku –

Kaidoh x Shinku –

Review and critism much loved

And yes thanks for the Mary Sue Test Rain, much loved by you.


	7. Reflection of Feelings

**(Alright this chapter is really intense, not really alot of humor, alot of 'Teenage-Love-Drama-Romance' type of crap, so be ready.) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

"Speak"- Speaking

_**Speak**_- Thinking

Speak- Actions

Flashback –

Kaidoh almost couldn't sleep that night, he was thinking about when Shinku came to the guy's bathroom with extra towels and soaps. He was already under the water when she came, so he was scrambling in like the others, so he witnessed Shinji talking to Shinku. Shinku didn't kill him when he called her 'Shinku-san'.

Should he even be feeling like this? What was he feeling anyway? It felt like something he had not felt before. Internal hatred that burned off the desire to kill females, maybe. Maybe he could ask Inui later, or something.

All was silent, the wind blew quietly, peace was set on the cabin, until a scream shook the house…

------------------------------------------------------

Shinku dropped her cooking utensils, turned off the stove and ran to the area of the scream. Sweat dripped off her face, she was anxious to see what caused the screaming, and who was screaming. Her heart almost stopped when she entered her room, and saw what had crashed through her cabin's door.

------------------------------------------------------

Fudomine and Seigaku woke up as the scream shattered throughout the cabin. They ran out of their rooms into the girl's bedroom. Kaidoh's face went pale as he heard a feminine scream. He was the one who ran the quickest, even thought the girl's room was only about a yard away from their room. They would have screamed if it wasn't for the monster in front of them.

Facing the group stood a large bear, long fangs flaring at the group. It's eyes almost glowing red, piercing anything in sight. A low grumbling growl vibrated the bear's large throat. His paws swiped weakly at Ann, Sakuno and Tomoka. No wonder one of them screamed out. Both Momo and Kamio ran in front of the girls, providing a thin wall of two human bodies.

Shinku clasped her hands into tight fists. To restrain herself from screaming, she whispered.

"Guys, get down on the floor." The tennis teams just stared at her out of confusion.

"Just do it!" Afraid that Shinku might cause injuries worse then the bear's, they scrambled onto the floor.

"Do not look it in the eye, seriously, try and stay calm.." Shinku looked around, trying to improvise. _**I need glass, or...something reflective!**_ Shinku spotted something glowing from her 'Vanity Table'. She attempted to discreetly crawl over to the table, as the bear continued to roar and sniff the air.

Shinku gently took the swinging mirror off it's hinges, then punched the glass covering. Glass shards flew around. She grabbed the largest pieces of glass and started to crawl back over to the group, until the bear also stepped closer. The sound of breaking glass must've caught the bear's attention. Shinku cursed inwardly, then slid some of the pieces of glass to both tennis teams.

She then brought the glass up to her head, the reflective side facing the bear, she motioned the rest to do the same. The bear sidestepped as it looked at the glass, it snorted, then slowly retreated. The group waited until the animal was completely out of sight until they sighed from relief.

Shinku tried to gather herself together in one piece, so she could search for a broom to sweep up the glass, and find a bandaid for her knuckle. A bit of glass had chipped itself onto a part of her knuckles. _**Not too bad, just a catscratch.**_

------------------------------------------------------

Shinku poured some alcohol on her small cut, then began to wrap her knuckles up. No more than two seconds later did she snap the bandage. A frown stretched to the ends of her jaws, a frustrated grunt breaking the silence in her bathroom. The door squeaked behind her, Shinji entered, his usual stoic face. He looked over Shinku's shoulder for a few seconds, then took the bandage off her hand.

"Your wrapping the cut all wrong," he took her hand and began wrapping it 'properly'.

"And how would you know, Shinji?" Shinji didn't even answer that time. He finished wrapping her cut, then left peacefully. Shinku just sighed and looked in the mirror. She was gaining some black rings around her eyes, from lack of slumber._** One of these days I'm just going to make one of those pesky boys cook dinner.**_ Her thoughts were halted when the door opened yet again, entering Kaidoh into her bathroom.

"Are you here to say my cut is wrapped all wrong t-" Her talking ceased when Kaidoh placed his hands on her head for a brief moment. After a couple seconds of an awkward silence and inner hisses (From Kaidoh) he took his hand off her head.

------------------------------------------------------

Inui's pen flew across the pages as he witness Shinji and Kaidoh's encounter with Shinku. He grinned deviously. _**Maybe I should write a teenage romance novel on this..**_

"Data, data..." Inui chanted deiscreetly.

"Aw..Why don't I get any action here?" Eiji whispered as he watched from the small gape in the doorway.

"It seems Kaidoh is infatuated with Shinku-san." Inui said, pushing up his glasses, some Seigaku members responded with a blunt 'DUH'. Petting a girl's hair was the most intimate thing Kaidoh would do to a girl, or any human being. They were knocked backwards when the door opened even further, with Kaidoh and Shinku walking out. They raised a suspicious eyebrow at them.

"Were you guys eavesdropping?" The tennis boys shook their head vigorously and waved their hands in the air, denying the obvious truth. Shinku sweat dropped and shook her head, she picked up an alarm clock that clearly stated, '3:55'. She had been cooking for about fifty minutes, so the incident didn't last that long.

"Well I have to go back and continue baking. Do you want to join, or try going back to sleep?" How could anyone sleep, now that a bear broke into her cabin? Answer: No one could, they all just followed Shinku into the kitchen.

"Don't worry about the door, I'll just get some supplies from the store not too far from here, I have to go their anyway, since you guys cleaned me out of food." She didn't mean for her words to sound aggrivated or anything like that, but the boys laughed nervously anyway, not really wanting to upset Shinku. Ann walked over to Shinku and peered at her hand.

"So Shinku-san, er..Does your wound still hurt?" Ann mumbled nervously, Shinku looked up at Ann, ready to spat back a bit of sarcasm, but she felt bad for Ann, worrying over her like that.

"Eh no, not really, when I get wounds they only hurt a couple hours after I obtained them. Like a hangover." Shinku let out a slight chuckle, which made Ann grin, shortly after that Ann hugged her from the side, causing the poor little host to lose valuable oxygen.

"That's good, it looked like it really hurt, and how were able to break the glass so easily?" Ann's excitement rising again, her voice squeaky and eager. Shinku heated up the stove, so she could continue on her Miso Soup.

"All the bent up rage these Seigaku members cause me. That's how I was able to break the glass." Shinku pointed behind her to the seated Seigaku boys.

"Hey! That's mean Shinku-san!" Eiji stood up and yelled, he pouted childishly, giving his complaints an infantile 'Hmph' in the ending. Shinku chuckled at his childish reactions.

"It's call a joke Kikumaru." Shinku grinned mischievously, causing some members from both tennis club's members to gulp, in unison once again. A couple minutes later when a decent conversation was extended between the two teams, Shinku came over with a tray with bowls full of Miso Soup, and sat down to eat herself.

------------------------------------------------------

"So Shinku-san, do you need any help going to the store? 'Cause I can help, I _am_ pretty strong," Momo boasted. Shinku held back a scoff, so Ryoma scoffed for her, ironic…

"Mada mada dane Momo-senpai, you don't have muscles." Ryoma pointed a finger at Momo.

_**This kid is so predictable**_, Shinku thought quietly. Shinji began mumbling incoherently, again, until Ryuzaki spoke up.

"Tezuka, Kaidoh you go with her." Tezuka sighed and nodded, _**Perfect**_, he thought, _**I have to take care of a kid who clocked **__**me with a metal skillet**_.

Kaidoh replied with a grunt.

Shinku sighed loudly. **_Great, better an overly serious jerk and a guy who thinks he's a snake than an arrogant child who thinks he can rule the world…_**She chuckled at her thoughts. Well looks like she just has to deal with it, she took another sip of her Miso Soup.

------------------------------------------------------

Tezuka, Kaidoh and Shinku walked down the dirt road towards the store that Shinku said was near her cabin. It was nowhere near her cabin. They had been walking for ten minutes and their legs already ached, the soil and landscape was so rough and rocky, one slip and you could easily cut off your leg. Tezuka just crossed his arms mumbling under his breath about 'watching your back', or 'don't do anything reckless', something weird like that. Kaidoh continued hissing to himself, his back hunched over like a striking viper. Tezuka open his eyes to see a large cabin with several signs surrounding the area.

"I'm guessing that's the store area over there?" Tezuka bent his head towards the cabin. Shinku stood on her toes to see what he was talking about. She barely saw the cabin, but she still was able to make out the features of the cabin.

"Yeah, that's the store. See it wasn't that far." Kaidoh and Tezuka groaned quietly, but were silenced when Shinku gave them a discreet glare. Heading downwards from the road to the hard charcoal gravel, they saw several other people there, from elderly ladies to infant children. It looked to be as if they were having a yard sale. Several elders waved at Shinku, she waved back. Shinku ran down to the older people, faintly tripping on the gravel several times. Tezuka and Kaidoh slowly followed behind her.

"Hello Shinny-chan, I see you have a couple of boys with you who are they? Did you _finally_ get yourself a man?" The old woman asked softly. The classic 'Did you get one guy worth keeping?' questions that all elder people ask, oh the irony… The old lady had silver hair a little darker and dryer than Shinku's. Her sweet wrinkly face beamed at Tezuka and Kaidoh. A small apron covered her old fashion 1840's dress.

Shinku's face turned from pale to twelve shades of red and pink. She bent her head nervously and stared at her feet.

"No Kame-sama, they are just guests in my cabin, I just came here to buy more food since a second tennis team came." Shinku's blush grew even more, her face sweating. Intimacy was not Shinku's forte.

"Oh what a shame, they look sweet." Shinku almost laughed, her sarcasm meter off the charts. _**Sweet? They look sweet? Try living with them.**_ Tezuka blinked a couple times, while Kaidoh looked back and forth between the store and forest, his face also turning similiar tones of red. She motioned the boys to follow her into the store.

"Shinny-chan?.." Tezuka asked. Shinku elbowed his ribs, a vein sticking out of her head. Tezuka sighed innocently.

------------------------------------------------------

Shinku had a hand basket full of house utensils and items. She mumbled under her breath the remaining items on her list. She looked up to a higher shelf with cans of broth of all flavors. She tried reaching up for the can, when someone grabbed it before her. Shinku looked over her shoulder to see Kaidoh handing her the can of broth._** I thought he was in the other aisle with Tezuka. Guess not.**_

"Thanks, Kaidoh." Kaidoh nodded in return. Kaidoh took the paper from her hands and looked over the remaining foods. He walked with Shinku down the aisles handing the food items to Shinku. Some items falling on Shinku's head, putting her in dazed situations.

When Shinku finished paying the price, using her grandparent's customer discount, she stepped out of the door with Tezuka following her. She looked behind her for Kaidoh, where had he gone?

"Kaidoh?" Shinku asked no one in patricular. She turned a full 180 degrees, when she spotted a glimpse of a green bandana.

"Coming," he said walking out with an handful of cans, "Fshhh, you forgot these." Kaidoh handed the canned goods to Shinku. She looked at him in puzzlement.

"I really need to start paying attention to things. My mind must be slipping. Thanks again." Kaidoh nodded in return.

"I'll probably just go home and make coffee, that'll set my mind straight," Shinku thought aloud. Tezuka looked down to the small girl.

"Aren't you a bit too young to be drinking coffee? Not to mention small?" He asked. Kaidoh held back a grunt of agreement. Veins fumed off of Shinku's head. She gritted her teeth into a half smile.

"Aren't you a bit too-" Kaidoh covered her mouth before either person could start a verbal battle.

"Look, grass," Kaidoh said, changing the subject. Tezuka sighed, not really giving an effort to care about what insults Shinku might have throw, back at him, or the fact that Kaidoh was not so dicreet when it came to changing subjects. It took all of Shinku's willpower to control her desire to bite Kaidoh's hand off, not to mention she was also trying to hide the pink on her cheeks.

------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note –

This chapter was going to end differently, but I decided it to end a bit more generally, not really angst-ish or mysterious. Hope you still like it. :D

I know this chapter is very very long, but it was hard to end it shortly.

Also I would like to thank my big sis' about the bear information! Thanks Ame-chan/Natty!

And about the pairings, so what do you think? Pm me about the pairings, or put it in reviews, ect. And so far the lead is.

Shinku x Kaidoh – 4 (Woot!)

Shinku x Shinji – 1 (Now he's in the race!)

Reviews loved and welcomed!

P.S. Mooney-chan loves you for reading this far! Hug


	8. Tennis Tango

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

"Speak"- Speaking

_**Speak**_- Thinking

Speak- Actions

**(Alright Shinku will be using some of her 'Tennis Shots' in this chapter so I shall post them here, and just so you know, she uses mind/subliminal abilities against her opponents. And yes I know, I have no originality in tennis move names.)**

_Confusion : She is able to move her racquet around so quickly that it causes her opponents mind to mistake the racquet to be something like a blur, and her opponents don't know when she is going to hit the tennis ball or where she is going to hit/aim for. But has to use a lighter tennis racquet, so it cannot be hit too hard, or apply too much pressure. It might be possible to use a larger and stronger racquet, but it takes a lot of strength, and can be highly unstable._

Flashback –

"I'll probably just go home and make coffee, that'll set my mind straight." Shinku thought aloud. Tezuka looked down to the small girl.

"Aren't you a bit too young to be drinking coffee? Not to mention small?" He asked. Kaidoh held back a grunt of agreement. Veins fumed off of Shinku's head. She gritted her teeth into a half smile.

"Aren't you a bit too-" Kaidoh covered her mouth before either person could start a verbal battle.

"Look, grass," Kaidoh said, changing the subject. Tezuka sighed, not really giving an effort to care about what insults Shinku might have thrown back at him, or the fact that Kaidoh was not so discreet when it came to changing subjects. It took all of Shinku's willpower to control her desire to bite Kaidoh's hand off, not to mention she was also trying to hide the pink on her cheeks.

-----------------------------------------------------

The Fudomine tennis team boys stood out behind Shinku's cabin, trying to obtain the right grip on their racquets as they waited for Shinku, Kaidoh and Tezuka to come back. After few seconds of the pregnant silence, Shinji turned his head and pointed to an open area.

"Oi, here comes Shinku-san and Ann-chan," he said aloud. Both came walking with a couple tubs of tennis balls. The girls set down their basket of tennis balls.

"Well here are your tennis items, need anything else? If not, then I'll start on dinner, or help with Seigaku's training." She was about to make a run for it, but..

Ann then grabbed onto Shinku's arm pulling her to a nearby bench.

"Or you can watch with me." She smiled politely, already pushing her down onto the bench beside her. Shinku grunted in return, placing the back of her palm under her chin, leisurely slumping over to watch some decent tennis matches.

"Alright team, the matches will start like this. For the 'Doubles Matches' I want Masaya Sakurai and Tetsu Ishida to play against Kyousuke Uchimura and Tatsunori Mori. For the 'Singles Matches' I want Shinji to play against me and Kamio…" Kippei stopped when he got to Kamio, because he had no one to play against. Maybe he could just pull someone out to make it even. Kippei started to pull one of the boys out of training until Shinku stood up.

"I'll play a match against him if he doesn't have any to play against," She offered.

"I didn't know you played tennis," Kamio stated. She gestured a 'yes' with her head.

"Well I'm a bit rusty, I haven't practiced in... well forever. I'll still play tennis with him though. I guess it's time for me to get back in the rut of playing the game."

"Alright then, it's settled. Kamio you will play against Yuzani-san. We'll start with that match. I'll referee." Kippei said, waiting for both people to obtain position. Shinku took a rather old and battered racquet out of a nearby storage closet. Her racquet had chipped, black paint on it, with a gold streak running across the entire racquet, like a twisting vine. She dusted some cobwebs off the grip.

"In the game of Kamio-Yuzani, its Kamio's serve," Kippei said, the match eagerly coming to a start.

-----------------------------------------------------

_**I'll go easy on her, since she said she hadn't practiced in a while...**_ Kamio pondered, bouncing the tennis ball up and down with his racquet. He threw the ball high up in the air, then brought his racquet down onto the yellow ball, straight down the middle of the court.

Shinku ran towards the ball, gripping her racquet rather loosely, and returned the ball with a slicing blow, giving the ball a solid 'thump' effect.

**Ponk**

Kamio had to step back to fully return her counter. _**Wow, she's alright.**_ He started stepping in a certain beat when Shinku returned again and again. _**Maybe I should take it up a notch now. **_

_**Hehe I'm riding the rhythm. **_Kamio smirked as his rhythmic beats began to increase in speed, obviously wearing down her attempts in returning.

**Ponk**

She struggled in returning Kamio's shots; he kept hitting them in a manner where it would go the complete opposite of her movements, and when she tried to change, the shots would also change.

But because of that, Shinku discovered a pattern in his shots. After discovering said pattern, she began to keep up with Kamio's shots, countering Kamio's attempts to weaken her shots, making him slowly scramble around just for a hit.

**Ponk**

Kamio stumbled to get to the next shot, his speed and rhythm movements were failing him. As soon as he returned her shot he saw a flaw in her stature, she wouldn't be able to counter well if he shot towards the back of her feet, she didn't look as if she could bend that way.

"Here's my chance," Kamio murmured to himself.

**Ponk **

He made his move; Kamio spun around and threw his swinging arm out, clashing with the tennis ball, bringing down several pounds of muscle. Everything was going according to plan. The ball flew across the court, landing directly behind Shinku's foot. She made a quick attempt at hitting his shot, but her swing was too late.

"15 – Love," Tachibana shouted. Shinku cursed under her breath, but at least she was able to keep such a rally going between her and Kamio. She imaged the moment again, picturing his feet as he made that shot, just as a mental note.

**Ponk**

After a couple more swings, Kamio began to jump into a rythmic position, sidestepping into his hitting posture, he readied himself for the famous quote.

"I'm riding the rhythm!" Kamio yelled gleefully. Shinku hopped backwards, barely hitting the tennis ball. The shot flew into a light lob.

_**Perfect, a nice and easy lob..**_ Kamio smirked, she was making it all too easy.

**Ponk**

Kamio hit back, the shot sliding through wind like a slim bullet. Shinku's hands were already swerving through the wind currents, the racquet flying back and forth, almost creating some kind of vortex. The tennis ball entered her vortex, and within a split second the ball spurted back out of the tunnel of racquets.

**Ponk**

Tachibana yelled out once again, "15-15!" She set her racquet on her shoulder in approval. Kamio tried to retrace every step within the couple seconds when she was spinning her racquet.

"Not too shabby," She rubbed her shoulder with the racquet.

Kamio scratched his head. Shinku twiddled with her racquet, rubbing her single victory in Kamio's face.

"So shall we continue, Kamio-san?" She stood in place, waiting for an answer. Kamio gave her a half grin, throwing the ball upwards.

-----------------------------------------------------

Both Kamio and Shinku fell onto their backs from exhaustion. It was only about the middle of the game and Kamio was ahead by only a single game, but both were equally as drained of energy. It took awhile for both tennis players to stand up on two feet.

"Alright it's Shinku with three games and Kamio with four games. Now it's Shinku's turn to serve." Tachibana crossed his arms for the fifth time in a row. Shinku wiped excess sweat off her face, _**I need to try and finish this up, with at least a tie.**_ She threw the ball high in the air, plunging from the ground. With a small grunt, her racquet struck the yellow ball, causing her to stumble backwards, but still immobilizing Kamio.

**Ponk**

"15-Love!"

Kamio cursed aloud, he was so close to the ball, his legs just wouldn't listen. He readied himself for the next shot.

**Ponk**

After a couple more 'thumps' and 'ponks', Kamio was able to jump in rhythm with Shinku, gaining speed and momentum. He was ready to finish the match, so he finally sought a chance.

"I'm riding the rhythm!!" His blow to the tennis ball was sleek and strong, a perfect hit. Kamio's ego started taking over at his perfect shot. It was heading right for Shinku, ready to fly right past her head, without actually hitting her, or so he thought.

**Ponk**

The ball went right to Shinku's head, making the small girl shoot backwards, the scene began rolling in slow motion, for the people who were watching.

-----------------------------------------------------

Author's Note:

Oh No! Kamio just hit a girl with a tennis ball. What shall happen?!

Wait..I'm the author, why am I asking you this? Oh well, tune in next time to see if Kamio will pay a hefty price for hitting a girl.

I know, I cannot do action scenes very well, but heck I tried. It's a bit hard to make tennis scenes like Naruto fight scenes, I mean it's tennis..And yes there was no Kaidoh x Shinku nor Shinku x Shinji moments in this chapter, but having a random or romantic moment in every chapter kinda gets cheesy, like you expect it. Every show (Or fan fiction) needs it's fillers x3 Hope you still like that chapter!

Kamio: Oh my- What did I do?! She didn't get hurt too much right?

Author: It's okay Kamio-san, she won't take too much mercy on you afterwards.

Kaidoh: Look more grass….

Author: Not now Kai- Holy Cow! It's shiny!! (Dives into grass)

Kamio and Kaidoh: ...

Reviews and Comments much loved by the author x3 Maybe a little sugar products too?


	9. RANTapalooza

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

"Speak"- Speaking

_**Speak**_- Thinking

Speak- Actions

**(Alright Shinku will be using some of her 'Tennis Powers' in this chapter so I shall post them here, and just so you know, she uses mind/subliminal abilities against her opponents. And yes I know, I have no originality in tennis move names. And for people who think I am making her a Mary Sue with these moves, you're wrong. If Seigaku can create cosmic energy waves with their racquects, and reach speeds to 150 mpr, and not be Mary Sues, then Shinku can most certainly do this.)**

Flashback –

"I'm riding the rhythm!!" His blow to the tennis ball was sleek and strong, a perfect hit. Kamio's ego started taking over at his perfect shot. It was heading right for Shinku, ready to fly right past her head, without actually hitting her, or so he thought.

**Ponk**

The ball went right to Shinku's head, making the small girl shoot backwards, the scene began rolling in slow motion, for the people who were watching.

-----------------------------------------------------

(Alright, I see that you are probably wondering what is happening with Seigaku, so here ya go, enjoy!!)

"Can you believe we have to spend the summer with Fudomine? This totally bites, I can't even spend that much time with Ann now." Momo moaned as he continued his stomach crunches on the tree. The Seigaku group sighed in unison, again, at the griping boy.

"Be quiet baka, no one cares anyway." Kaidoh grunted. Momo tried throwing a nearby stick at him, but was stopped by Ryuzaki.

"Quiet both of you, or none of you get you dinner." That shut both boys up, Ryuzaki finished her threat with a 'Double time everyone!'

-----------------------------------------------------

Kamio started to squeak out a word, until Shinku jumped back up.

Shinku completed a back flip, tucking into a Drive V position, slamming the shot right back at Kamio, who of course was still frozen in place.

What a dirty move, pretending to be hit, making your opponent freeze in place, then leaping right up and countering just as strong as before. I mean, Kamio thought he just pummeled a girl with his tennis shot!

**Ponk**

"Game to Yuzani Shinku," Tachibana called out again. He looked over both players, just to see that both were about to just collapse on the spot. He looked at his watch. The game had gone by pretty quickly, the two were able to keep up the match for fifteen minutes.

"Alright, listen both of you. Whoever scores this last point wins the match. I don't want you two to over-do it. Okay? Now Kamio, you serve." Kamio nodded and patted the ball several times, it had become very battered and bruised through the match. Several shots passed.

**Ponk**

Shinku's legs couldn't take the last hit, her stamina had run out, ending in her demise. She made an effort to run for the ball, which was at the opposite end of the court, but she could only give a small lob, which jumped right into her side of the net, the match finally ended.

"Match ended, Kamio wins." Tachibana said proudly. Both Shinku and Kamio walked up to the net to shake hands.

"Wow, you sure put up one heck of a fight, Yuzani-chan." Kamio flipped the sweat out of his crimson hair.

"And you aren't half bad, even for a guy who won't stop saying 'I'm riding the rhythm'." She shook Kamio's hand.

"Whatever," Kamio tapped Shinku on the head with his racquet.

(_**Shinku's Tennis Shot**_) _Painless : If a shot is close enough to Shinku's face, arm, racquet, ect, then she will act as if she was hit and fall backwards, and is able to hit it similarly to a Drive V, also her opponents usually pause in place since they thought they hit a girl, giving her the ability to hit the ball past them._

-----------------------------------------------------

Almost everyone on Fudomine team fell down on the concrete, the matches were greatly intense. The Kyousuke-Tatsunori pair beat their opponents by a landslide, which caused Tachibana to go on a small ranting spree to the Regulars. Ann handed out towels to everyone, and even kept one for herself. She fanned herself with her hands.

"Man Shinku-san, is it me, or has the summer just hit a major heat wave?" Shinku nodded weakly in agreement, then yawned loudly. It wasn't until about a second later she jumped up again.

"I forgot, I need to start making dinner, then I need to fix the wall, clean the rooms-" She stopped when her breath had run out. The Fundomine regulars sweat dropped at her sudden panicky state.

"Do..you need..help, Shinku-san?" Kamio asked cautiously.

"No I'm alright, I got everything, just continue your training." Shinku ran back in the cabin to begin her errands.

-----------------------------------------------------

"Alright first I'll fix the wall, then clean and cook. Then.." Shinku started murmuring to herself as she took out some items to fix the wall. (Really it's a Japanese sliding door, and surrounding it, is just the same material as a sliding door)

Stapling the paper-like covering to the wooden outlining, she continued to attempt her abilities at home improvement. When she reached the top, where she still hadn't stapled, she struggled to jump up and down while trying to get a straight staple on the paper and wood. Shinku stopped when she saw a large shadow suddenly forming around her frame. She looked around to see who her stalker was.

"Need help Shinku-san?" Shinji asked. Before Shinku could even give an effort for an answer, Shinji swiped the staple gun from her hands and stapled the top.

"So why are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be training?" She crossed her arms, then cocked her head to the side in a questionably manner. Shinji took a deep breath then spoke.

"Well I was training, then all the guys were like 'Should we go help her?' And Tachibana was all like 'Maybe…' But no one wanted to go, so I was sent, but first I had to put on a new shirt, but I didn't like my green shirt, so I changed into my red one, but I couldn't find my red one, so I changed into a gray shirt. But then I saw a bird and I had an urge to pet the bird, but it flew away, then I almost ran into a spider web. I don't know what kind of spider it was, but it was really big. So I had to go and a find a large stick, which didn't take very long. Then I started looking at the clouds, when I saw a flower with a euglena and puppy. So that got me distracted, but after about ten seconds later I snapped back. And then-" Shinji's long pointless rant had gone on long enough for Shinku, so she stepped in.

"Shinji, what is the point of your story?" She held her head in her palm and massaged her temples wearily. Shinji stopped mumbling incoherently to look back at her.

"Oh right," Shinji stuck his finger in the air, as if pointing out an idea, "Anyway I just came here to help you with the fixing, and stuff." Shinji mumbled while avoiding the stapling of his fingers. Both continued fixing the wall without speaking.

-----------------------------------------------------

The Seigaku regulars slumped into the cabin, their aching legs limping along. Shinku peeked from behind the doorway.

"Well you guys are back early, why is that?" Oishi and Eiji fell in front of her feet, their hands twitching as they rose to the hem of Shinku's shirt. Both boys groaned in pain.

"Oww….Ryuzaki-Sensei swore that if we didn't train twice as hard, we wouldn't be getting dinner. And I think one of us broke his leg. But we don't know who it is, considering all of our legs were tied together to achieve total teamwork." Oishi looked back up, tears creating a misty atmosphere in his eyes. Eiji continued groaning in pain. He clung to Shinku's leg, dragging Oishi along with him.

"My hair hurts.." Eiji whimpered. Shinku cackled wickedly.

"Do you now see that I am the more merciful version of Ryuzaki, no matter how many times I chase you all with metal objects?" Shinku poked at the boys, who writhed in agony.

"Anyway, get your lazy butts in gear and get to the table and wait for your food, Fudomine already took their seats." Shinku grunted, dragging Oishi and Eiji, who were still clamped onto her shirt and ankles.

-----------------------------------------------------

Shinku hummed quietly, stirring pots of broth and vegetables, while the people behind her were busy waiting, talking, or continuing to whine about the abuse they faced. Shinku was also in a semi-discussion with Ann and Sakuno about the finer points of dark nail polish and the art of cross dressing when necessary.

"No way, Shinku-chan! Magenta looks so much better on finger nails, with dark brown, not black!" Ann laughed as the strange conversation continued. Shinku scoffed.

"Yeah right Ann, black PWNS all! It goes with everything, even magenta." Shinku turned around from her boiling pot to stare at Ann, face to face.

"Shinku-san-" Shinji pointed to the stove.

"And really Ann, black nail polish comes in so many shades, some very interesting," Shinku continued.

"Shinku-san.."

"I mean what could possibly compe- OW!"

"I warned you Shinku-san." Shinji tapped his fingers against the table.

Shinku cradled her hand, multitasking by leering at Shinji. Her pale skin revealed a large burn mark. She ran her finger underwater to calm down the searing pain. Shinji sighed and walked up to Shinku. Coaxing her hands up to his lips, Shinji placed his mouth onto the burn mark. Shinku blushed from her toenails to the follicles of her hair. You could see her blush from the large cities of America.

Shinji Ibu, just **kissed** Shinku Yuzani's burn mark, who just stood there like a moron, mouth dropped open. She heard several regulars give the scene loud whistles and one long 'Ooooooh' sound. What happened next was both shocking and funny.

-----------------------------------------------------

Shinji lowered his face to Shinku's, to where both were almost nose to nose. He looked deeply into her surprised, golden eyes, and whispered so gently...

"Your food is burning."

The white tresses on Shinku's head bounced up in outburst.

"What?... OHMYGOSH!" Shinku screeched all in one breath. She almost jumped onto the stove like a lemur-type-monkey-thing. She almost spilled the whole crock pot over. Still holding her blush, Shinku stirred the food vigorously. Shinji just cocked his head at her sudden outburst.

-----------------------------------------------------

The Tennis Regulars poked at their, burnt, food curiously sniffing to see whether it was edible or flammable. Shinku and Ryuzaki looked like they were about to stab each person with a Spork if they didn't eat. So the tennis teams cautiously digested the black morsels.

Shinku slammed her head against the table, holding her stomach. Tomoka also held her stomach, same with Sakuno and Ann. They all groaned quietly, they must've had some kind of weird effect on them, until they said the next few words.

"I think I'm getting cramps." They grunted in unison. The regulars choked on their food.

_**PMS…**_Everyone thought in unison, the room turned dead silent.

-----------------------------------------------------

Author's Note

Oh yes! Finally it is here! The next chapter involving PMS. Do you know the pain and horror that will occur in Chapter 10? Wait…why am I getting excited? You're the ones who don't know what's gonna happen.

And ATTENTION! The author feels dumber than usual, there have not been many Kaidoh x Shinku moments nor Ann x Kamio scenes! The author shall get to work on that!!

Anyhoo, so again the pairings?

Kaidoh x Shinku

Shinji x Shinku

Shinji: (Spits onto ground) Shinku your hand tastes like spoiled Miso Soup.

Shinku: I don't even want to know how you even know what rotten soup tastes like. And my hand doesn't taste like Miso Soup.

Shinji: And how would you know?

Shinku: I dunno, but it's not like I'm going to go up to people, asking them to tastes my hand-flesh!

Author: What's the point of this argument?

Mooney-chan loves you all! Review and Critics loved.


	10. End of the World Week

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis**

"Speak"- Speaking

_**Speak**_- Thinking

Speak- Actions

Flashback –

Shinku slammed her head against the table, holding her stomach. Tomoka also held her stomach, same with Sakuno and Ann. They all groaned quietly, the food must've had some kind of weird effect on them, until they said the next few words.

"I think I'm getting cramps." They grunted in unison. The regulars choked on their food.

**_PMS…_** The similiar thought ran through each and every Tennis Player's head. The room turned dead silent.

**_New and improved spacer._**

Shinku walked out of the bathroom, with a slumping stature, wearing a large tattered T-shirt, light blue sweat pants, fuzzy black house shoes, and a small bobby pin on her hair to keep her bangs out of her face. Momoshiro walked past her to go into the boy's bathroom, but stopped when he saw what she was wearing.

"Shinku-san, I didn't know you wore colors-" Momo had to duck and cover in the fetal position, since Shinku almost uppercut him, for no reason at all. Shinku growled dangerously, then just walked off as if nothing had occured. Momo watched her leave, still head between his legs.

**_New and improved spacer._**

Tomoka slammed the door open, and instead of wearing her cheerleading uniform, she wore a large T-shirt of Shinku's, preferably one with a Japanese emoticon kitty on it, and loose and baggy jeans. Sakuno followed behind her, surprisingly holding a deadly glare on her face, wearing similar clothing as Tomoka. Horio and his other two friends walked behind him as they walked past the girl's bedroom.

"Oi? Tomoka? Sakuno? Why are you dressed like that? And why do the both of you look like Kaidoh-senpai?" The small group of boys started to duck away from the beasts of sheer flaming rage.

"GO AWAY!" Sakuno and Tomoka pointed to a different area, the three boys loyally running for their precious life.

**_New and improved spacer_**.

Ann slumped out of the kitchen with a tub of ice cream, specifically 'Choco-choco-Chip with EXTRA Fudge Berries', accessorizing with two large spoons. Kippei and Kamio walked past her, but not without stopping to ask her what was wrong.

"Ann…ch-" Kamio flew backwards before he even finished the suffix. Ann pimp slapped Kamio with her obnoxiously large spoons. Kamio crawled in a corner, while Kippei ran past Ann into the hall behind her. Ann just left with her ice cream and spoons, as she set off to the bedroom.

Ann passed around the large spoons, various sizes of ice cream on each serving. All four girls began ranting, while hacking down the sugary dairy product.

"And I mean, the boys are _so_ annoying, the way Momo eats, well lets just say, even if he was eating a marshmallow, you could still hear his obnoxious chewing from AMERICA!!"

"I know! And that baka of a chibi boy, Ryoma, just won't notice me! No matter how much I try to start a decent conversation with him! He just stares off into space with that empty look in his beautiful eyes of gold!"

"And Kamio is such a clingy little squirrel! He's always hyper or awkward around me. It's 'Oh Ann-chan' this, 'Ann-chan' that, yeah he is so discreet with his crush!"

"And I hate how Horio is always complaining about my voice! It's my voice, what am I supposed to do?! Strangle my vocal cords and speak in a cruddy British-Irish-New Yorkian-Pig Latin-German accent?!"

"I HATE BOYS!!" The girls screamed in unison. While the yell punctured the house, some of the Seigaku and Fudomine boys hid behind the couch, a wooden steak and other superstitious items in their reach.

"This is going to be a long week.." Oishi whimpered.

"Week?!..." Eiji clung to Oishi's arm, Momo crying into Eiji'shirt, while most of the other boys scrunched behind the couch. Eiji's watering eyes wandered towards the calendar. Looking at a sign with bold black letters, and a thick red circle around the writing, the letters spelled out, 'END OF THE WORLD WEEK'. The boys clamped onto the wooden steaks.

As Ryuzaki pulled Seigaku out of their hiding place and into the girl's presence, she tried to man them up and face the girls, what a sad and impossible mission. Opening the door, a strong smell of twenty different candles exploded from the room.

Shinku, Tomoka, Ann, and Sakuno surrounded the collection of candles, inhaling each and every scent. It looked to be more like they were calling the dead with some candle smelling ritual. Three large chocolate ice cream bins were thrown abusively to the side.

"Er…..Shinku are you ready for training?"

"Tomoka, Sakuno would you like to do the training for me?" Shinku asked, after a couple milliseconds she whispered something into both of the girl's ears. Sakuno and Tomoka smiled.

"Sureee," They said in unison, bringing a black cloud over the Regular's heads.

"What about you Ann-chan?"

Shinku whispered yet again into Ann's ear, causing Ann to smile just as wide.

"Come come boys." She motioned the Fudomine boys to follow her.

**_New and improved spacer._**

_With Tomka and Sakuno_

Ryoma sped forwards, his little tail between his legs as he ran on all fours. Following were the rest of the regulars, either running faster than normal, or almost dragging each other to the ground. Following them were Sakuno and Tomoka.

Tomoka held Shinku's skillet, which she had to sign a ten page contract, swear to all Gods that no part on that beautiful skillet will be harmed/dented/sliced/bruised/rusted/and or destroyed, she had to polish the skillet twice _and_ to promise that she will not abuse her skillet wielding privilege for anything but beating the crap out of the Regulars.

Sakuno just followed them with a knife, but don't worry readers, it's just a plastic butter knife, although she did scream after the Regulars that she was going to gouge their eyes out..

"DIE!!" The girl's said simultaneously.

**_New and improved spacer._**

_With Ann_

"I HATE LIFE!"

"SOMEONE GRAB A TISSUE FOR COVER!"

"I WANT TO DIE!"

"ANN! THAT WAS MY LEG!"

Those were just a fraction of the screams that the Fudomine Regulars cried out, as Ann, one of the worst PMS disasters of the day, helped the boys learn a lesson in Tennis War.

SLAM, one after another, SLAM, Ann kept pounding the tennis balls into the pavement, scraping each and every inch of the already cracked concrete. Ann continued smiting the tiny yellow ball, almost hitting the Fudomine boys in vital and embarassing places.

"What the heck is with them?!" One of the boys whispered to another.

"Didn't you read the sign on the calendar?!"

Apparently not.

"SUFFER PATHETIC BOYS!" Fudomine readied themselves for another round of 'Will this Shot End my Life?'

**_New and improved spacer._**

_With Shinku_

Since Ann took charge with putting Fudomine through the suffering witchcraft power of a PMS disaster, and Sakuno and Tomoka just had their fun, Shinku took part in making dinner, kinda..

Shinku sat on the couch holding her lower stomach until one of the younger boys came back with the girl's "female products", which took a bit of wrestling moves and threatening rambles, but anyway, Shinku desperately tried to entertain herself with a piece of cloth. She jumped as a girlish scream rose from the silence.

"What the heck? Did one of the boys just learn how to scream soprano?" Right on cue, Momo ran across her view, resulting in the snowy haired girl to just slap her head repeatedly.

"THE DEED IS DONE!" Someone shouted, kicking down the door, the Fudomine boys toppling inside.

"What the... Why?! Why must this happen?!.. That's it. I'm through. Now we know not to trust any female organism as they bleed from-" Kamio was cut off by several Fudomine members.

"We know what happens to them Kamio, we don't need any graphic descriptions or drawings."

Ann stomped in front of the boys over to Shinku.

"I see you took mercy on them? How soft of you.." Shinku laced her fingers together like some head mafia technique.

"Yeah well I was running low on chocolate, and when is Tomoka's man slave coming pack with the pads?" Shinku shrugged. Ann left for the cabinets to find more sugar products, leaving Shinku to lounge on the couch.

Sakuno and Tomoka marched through the doors, a piece Seigaku Regular's hair in each hand. Tomoka's second hand weilded the butter knife and skillet. She dropped both artillery utensils in Shinku's lap.

"Was my dear skillet harmed in any way?" Shinku dusted the skillet, looking over each and every millimeter of metal. Tomoka shook her head in answer to the question.

"I'm going to take a three hour nap, wake me when the pads are here, or if you're making chocolate fondue." Sakuno exited the room.

"I'm going to redo my hair." Tomoka left for the bathroom mirror.

"Finally some peace," Shinku grumbled. Not even a second after Shinji plopped backwards right on Shinku's legs, sweat dripping onto her pants. An unnaturally large vein popped from her head, throbbing dangerously. Then after such a beautiful moment, Fuji hopped onto the edge of the couch. He grabbed the remote and a piece of Shinku's chocolate variety.

"So what are we watching?" Fuji stuck a piece of chocolate pocky in his mouth. By now two veins screamed from Shinku's head.

"Get off." She said simply.

"It's too hot Shinku-san." Shinji also grabbed a stick of pocky and chocolate.

"…IT'S YUZANI-SAN!"

Both boys stared in shock and fear at the outburst.

"Umm, yes what did you say Kippei? You want me to come and hide under something and escape the wrath of the host. Oh I mean coming." Shinji shuffled through the doors into the boys bedroom.

"Haha, Shinku-san is scary." Fuji laughed and took Shinji's place across her legs, petting the fuming girl's head. Shinku was ready to slam a hammer over Fuji's pretty little noggin, but luckily Tezuka walked by.

"I don't even want to kn-"

"Tezuka please take your man slave off my feet." She pointed to Fuji, extra veins popping out of her head.

"Fuji 10,000 laps."

He deserved it.

"Thank you."

Shinku stepped off of the couch and into the kitchen.

"Hey, male lackeys! Is the food ready yet?!" All the younger boys moaned.

"I'm taking that as a no. Hurry up!"

_**New and improved spacer.**_

The four PMS disaster girls ate quietly, not making a single complain, yet. The boys could feel the heavy tension, each bite of food quaking and shaking from caution. Kippei was the first brave male to speak out.

"So...Summer is coming close to an end, couple more weeks. So, Seigaku, Yuzani-san, what are you all planning to do?"

"They're going back in training, doing school work, and of course I'll be watching them. Be ready fro even more pain boys." The elder woman pointed her fork at each and every regular. They groaned simultaneously.

"And you Yuzani-san?"

"After you guys finally move out, I'm packing my things, and helping my family move."

"Where to?"

"I dunno, but I'm being forced into schooling, some dumb school, I think their tennis team is like..Shonan, or something."

"...What?"

**_New and improved spacer._**

Author's Note:

(I'M COMIN BACK BABY. Just be patient for the next update.)

DUN DUN DUNN! Since this is supposed to be a Kaidoh x OC (Shinku) fic, you thought she would be going to Seishun right? Wrong! Now poor Kaidoh shall fight with his inner feelings and figure out if he even cares that she is going to a school with the fangirl tennis team manager and gernally insane tennis members!

Wow, this fic just keeps getting stranger and stranger.

And yes, you can use a tissue for cover, you can abuse an ice cream box. Also it is possible to kill a PMSing girl with a wooden steak. We bleed chocolate and rainbows.

I'm working on the Mary-Sue'ism of Shinku, WORKING ON IT. Please don't hassle me, I'm toning her down a notch.

Kaidoh x Shinku -

Shinji x Shinku -

Squee! Can't wait for the next chapter. Huggles to all!

Eiji: Hey, you guys, I found the definition for PMS on the computer.

Momo: Eiji what kind of website are you on?! That's disgusting!

Eiji: Don't look at the pictures, read the definition.

Momo: I was, and now that my attention has turned to- OH MY, EW EW EW EW EW!! GRAPHIC! MY EYES THEY BLEED!

Inui: Speaking of bleeding..

Momo: (Faints before the sentence even needs to be finished.)

Author: (Looks at the computer in curiosity) Eiji! Are you interested in your sisters female hormonal system again?


	11. Don't Say Goodbye

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Prince of Tennis, nor will I even own any of the adorable characters. ('Cept Shinku.)

"Speak" - Speaking

_**Speak**_ - Thoughts

Speak – Actions

Flashback

_"After you guys finally move out, I'm packing my things, and helping my family move."_

_"Where to?"_

_"I dunno, but I'm being forced into schooling, some dumb school, I think their tennis team is like..Shonan, or something."_

_"...What?"_

_**New and Improved Spacer.**_

"You mean Seigaku right?"

"No.. It was like Jyousei Shonan. A really weird name like that. What does it matter anyway? I heard it was a pretty good school."

"Because they are all psychos!"

"How?"

"Well, the tennis team manager, who is a female, hit on Echizen, is a crazed fangirl for her own team. She is a crazed nutcase!"

"You said crazed twice."

"Well it's true."

She took one last bite at her food and brought it to the sink. The conversation was going nowhere, therefore there was no need to continue it.

_**New and Improved Spacer.**_

Shinku sat in an empty room, cleaning whatever was in sight, her brush strokes full with fury. _**What pansies, trying to tell me that I can't go to a school my parents already picked out for me. Who do they think they are? My parental figures? Argh!**_ Her stroke's friction on the scrubber grew, the floor boards creaked from the immense pressure.

"Who do they think I am? Their child, whom is to stay within the house and listen to their every command? Waiting for my rightful day to finally gain my freedom?!" She threw the cleaning object across the room, but it briefly landed against something with a 'thump.' Looking up she saw Kaidoh standing in front of her.

"Sorry," She mumbled, while shuffling over to pick up the cleaner. Kaidoh swiped up the housekeeping product and tossed it over to Shinku.

"Fsh. Still PMS-ing?" He dared to ask.

"No, just immensely frustrated. Ya know, your team is _very_ possessive," She flipped the scrubber around, until a small dimmed light bulb appeared in her mind.

"Wait, how did you find me? Did your stalker senses kick in again?" She playfully punched Kaidoh's arm.

"No..I was just exploring..Fshhh."

"This is the third floor."

"Fsh. I was interested in the floor."

"Whatever." She shrugged and began to walk away, but as she crossed paths with Kaidoh she gave him a cross between a semi-punch in the side and a hug. The 'hug' was hurried and awkward, she slipped away quickly behind him. Kaidoh stood there at the doorway, confused beyond reason.

"Fsh?" he asked himself.

"I'm going to miss you guys!" Momo launched Ann and Shinku in his arms, swaying, or shaking them, back and forth. Both girls knocked him upside the head.

_New and Improved Spacer._

"Momo! I go to a school relatively close to yours, and I see you almost every day! Continue hugging me and I won't come and visit!"

"And I'm just moving near Shonan, maybe if you let oxygen enter my body, I'll consider visiting!" Momo dropped the girls on the side of the road.

"They are so clingy," Shinku said to Ann, rubbing the bump on her head.

"Try taking both him and Ryoma on a tennis date." Both girls groaned at the distressing sight. Ryuzaki walked up to the tiny snow head.

"Well Shinku, I should tell you something before you enter the world of Shonan. Like the boys said, be careful of the Male Tennis Team's coach," Ryuzaki bent down low, ".. Because she really is insane."

"_Right_.. And I would like to remind your Regulars to keep their hands off Sakuno and Tomoka," Shinku had to stand on her toes to whisper, ".. Because their clingy perverse teenagers." Both shared a laugh at their inside joke.

Both teams said their goodbyes to each other, wishing luck, giving hugs, receiving punched and threats of skillets.. _I wonder where that threat came from_.. But overall the farewells were bittersweet. The Seigaku entered their bus, while Fudomine entered theirs, Shinku stood at the roadside, waiting for her Father's car to pass by and pick her up.

Speak of the devil, a dull black car rolled upon where she stood, with one last wave, she bid both buses farewell, au revoir, arrivederci, adios, auf wiedersehen, ect, ect. The people inside the buses waved back.

_**New and Improved Spacer.**_

_With Fudomine_

"Man, I swear I am never going to take life for granted, if I have to spend one more day with those Seigaku psychos, I'm going to blow something up." Kamio complained, loudly.

"Start with your attitude Kamio. You need to get your focus off the other team, and get it back on training. Training at the cabin was alright, but we need to get back on our regular schedule." Tachibana twisted his head, continuing the brief lecture.

"We're going to start with taking you all to get a check up, I want to see if you were inflicted with any major or minor injuries."

"Seigaku should be the ones getting the check up," One Fudomine Regular piped in.

"I know, did you see how Yuzani and the girl's from Seigaku beat them with that metal kitchen thing?"

"I believe it was a metal handheld skillet."

"Oishi and Momo even left with bruises on their heads." Fudomine started a small sniggering fit. Kamio lightly punched Shinji's arm.

"Dude, Shinji, I've never seen you as such a flirt."

"Hn?"

"At the cabin, you at the Yuzani girl, heck even Sakuno! You always had some kind of grip on her, or were always looking at her. You're such a player," Kamio snickered.

"Me? A flirt? How distorted. No, I was not flirting with the Yuzani girl."

"And my hair is dyed. What about when we were ready to hide behind the trees, you were staring back at Shinku?" Kamio rolled his eyes.

"I was amused by her attempt to frighten me."

"What about when you brought up Shinku as we entered our room?"

"I brought her up to see what you all thought of her."

"When you talked to her at the sink?"

"You were watching us? Stalker. But I heard her say 'Fudomine' and 'Freaks' in the same sentence, I was simply interested."

"What about when you spoke to her in a pink towel, then your face turned white when she started mumbling?"

"I don't have much modesty, besides, I doubt anyone else would walk up to that door in a towel. And my face flushed because I heard her saying 'Nice abs,' or some body part."

"Then you disappeared in the bathroom with her after the bear attack."

"I went to wrap the cut on her hand."

"Then you dared to give her the suffix; -chan."

"I wanted to see if she would care or not."

"But you also went to help her patch up the sliding door, window thing."

"You guys forced me to go."

"No, we didn't. But you even _kissed_ her."

"I _cooled_ her burn. You may not know, but there is a difference."

"You were sprawled all over her legs after Ann repeatedly beat us with tennis balls."

"Are you sure _you_ don't like her? Anyway she seemed to be watching a soap opera, I wanted to see what she was watching. And before you even ask your next question, I do not have the urge to date her, I would rather spend an hour with Tomoka and her friend, with the overly possessive Regulars on my tail. Does that give you a small description that I do not like Shinku in that way?"

"Touché Shinji, touché."

_**New and Improved Spacer.**_

_With Seigaku _

Hoping to take a decent two hour nap, the Seigaku regulars lounged along the bus, sprawling themselves all over the seats. The lazy sleepers were obviously Momo, Eiji, and Ryoma. Sakuno and Tomoka giggled at the snoring tennis boys. Kaidoh had his head against the window, Oishi watched Inui take notes on the strangest things, Tezuka sat in his seat, stoic as ever. The rest of the Tennis team either attempted to take a nap, or find some source of entertainment. Now, because the Seigaku regulars are performing such interesting antics, let's take a look at Inui's Notes.

_Kaoru Kaidoh: _

_Height: _

_Weight: _

_Birthday: _

_Playing Style: _

_Other: (End of Vacation/Training at the cabin.) Now it seems that Kaidoh is taking an interest in females, quite strange I must say, he's never acted so poorly in front of foreign humans before.. I believe that Kaidoh is growing up. His attention to Shinku Yuzani has increased over the break, an obvious sign of attraction in my eyes. Soon his adolescent hormones-_

Oishi stopped reading the notes, in fear that he might've thrown up, or caused permanent scarring of his own life.

Kaidoh sighed, as he continued to watch the fading shrubbery dissolve.

"Is it me, or does Kaidoh seem.. a bit more troubled today. He's so gloomy." Eiji whispered over the seat to Oishi.

"Yeah, I agree." Oishi hissed. Their focus stuck over Viper cautiously, they were now in full stalk mode, Inui even stood by with his notebook for extra information.

_**New and Improved Spacer.**_

Shinku stared out the window, thinking, yet again.

The driver in front wore a classy black suit with a straightened navy tie, thick black glasses, substitute leather shoes, and had slicked back violet hair, which revealed beady black eyes.

"So, Shinku, are you ready for the new school? How were the clients?" His deep husky voice rung through the small car.

Shinku merely shrugged, and grumbled something incoherent. _**Things are totally going to change, those pesky males aren't going to be around to cause me anger, pain, FIREY RAGE.. Laughter, awkward moments or happiness. Crap...**_

_**New and Improved Spacer.**_

Author's Note

Well well well, it's really true, either Kaidoh really likes her, or her just had a tummy ache and is pouting about it. And see, Shinji does not like my OC, he would rather 'date' Tomoka, doesn't that say anything. (Sorry Tomoka fans, she's just not my favorite character.)

And I'm probably not going to continue the poll, considering Shinji just confessed that he doesn't have a crush on Shinku, unless people actually like that pairing, but not much people do ;D

So you know me, reviews and criticism!

Author: So, Jyousei Shonan, are you ready for the white haired demon?

Hanamura: White Haired Demon? Will he be happy to be one of my masterpieces?

Author: Er.. Shinku is girl, but she might be interested in the tennis team.

Hanamura: (Sniff) Well they are my (Sniff) beautiful masterpieces!

Author: Wow, you really are a fangirl of your team.


	12. Changes

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, nor will I even own any of the adorable characters

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Prince of Tennis, nor will I even own any of the adorable characters.

"Speak" - Speaking

_**Speak**_ - Thoughts

Speak – Actions

Flashback

_Shinku stared out the window, thinking, yet again._

_The driver in front wore a classy black suit with a straightened navy tie, thick black glasses, substitute leather shoes, and had slicked back violet hair, which revealed beady black eyes._

_"So, Shinku, are you ready for the new school? How were the clients?" His deep husky voice rung throw the small car._

_Shinku merely shrugged, and grumbled something incoherent_. _**Things are totally going to change, those pesky males aren't going to be around to cause me anger, pain, FIREY RAGE.. Laughter, any awkward moments or short happiness. Crap...**_

_**New and improved spacer.**_

When school finally did start, and everyone graduated to the next grade, the Seigaku Gang - what was left – continued to play the sport they loved. Some of the Graduated Upper Classmen even made the effort to come to the Tennis practices of the remaining Middle School children; Ryoma, Kaidoh and Momoshiro.

Tezuka went on to help coach the High School Tennis Teams. Though only weeks passed after Shinku's Cabin, Tezuka had grown quite a bit. His face grew bonier, and aged. His height didn't cease, so now even a mythical vampire couldn't compare to him. He was still the same, stoic, strict Tezuka everyone came to know and love, despite his training.

Inui continued to hold the same spiky hair, though he cut it a bit shorter, and the same thick lenses glasses, and the same love for Chemistry and Death Juices.

Taka Kawamura still lived and breathed tennis, hollering his quote 'BURNING' whenever he could, even if it didn't apply to any sport. Over time he was able to break some of his soft spoken habits and actually get a girlfriend.

Oishi barely changed at all. He did remain friends with Kikumaru, and also helped Tezuka manage Tennis Teams. His height didn't change much, but he was surprisingly now shorter than Eiji.

Eiji had changed a lot over the last couple of weeks. His hair was cut a bit shorter, still maintaining his cat-like face. His lean muscle also grew more pronounced, giving him more bounce in his step. Kikumaru grew about one or two inches, now nearly towering over his friend Oishi.

Fuji almost didn't change at all. His hair stretched almost to his shoulders, his kind blue eyes still pierced the heart of millions. His creepy smile still stuck onto his face, displaying his sinister nature.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Ryoma remained on the Tennis team, capturing the hearts of every woman, and still stood as the envy of all tennis players. He grew dramatically, reaching up another two inches, matching his adolescent muscles.

Momoshiro and Kaidoh still quarrel regularly, now more dangerous with their growing height and muscles. Kaidoh's wild hair grew, while Momo's stayed short, but Momo grew taller over Kaidoh. Finally he won at something.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

"Oi! Momo, give me back my racquet!" Ryoma yelled after the newly tall Momoshiro. Three days into Tennis Season and he was already being picked on by his superiors. Even some of the first years in training poke fun at the Prince, until he challenged the daredevils to a tennis match.

Momo finally skidded to a stop a handed the racquet back to his height challenged friend, chuckling non-stop. An eerie shadow loomed over the prankster, sending unwanted chills up his spine. Coach Ryuzaki.

The old woman hit Momoshiro over the head repeatedly, giving a long lecture about being a role model, respecting children shorter than the average human, ect. The first years went back to mock training to become Regulars.

"Where's Kaidoh?" Momo broke Ryuzaki out of her seething and searing words. The three turned their heads to the side to view the same old Viper, leaning against the rusty cage wire, drinking some form of carbonated beverage. His face seemed a little more distant than usual. Kaidoh's face didn't scream depression, he just seemed a bit too interested in the cloud and roof tiles.

"Why is he doing that?" Ryoma asked, uncaring about the subject.

"He's been like that lately, at least it was better than the bus ride," Momoshiro sighed, shrugging off the energy. Soon he cringed from a familiar warning hiss.

"Fsshhh, shut it."

_**New and improved spacer**._

"Ochibi!" a familiar tennis member, Eiji, hopped and attacked an unsuspecting Ryoma. "Nya! Ochibi, you haven't changed at all," Eiji laughed, holding up the Regular's baby face.

"Same to you," Ryoma spat back. The fire head clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"Nope, I grew." Eiji discreetly flexed his unmentioned arms, all while scratching his shortened hair. Ryoma took no notice to the obvious clues, wriggling out from under the grown High Scholar. Behind Eiji stood most of the older classmen; Shusuke Fuji, Takashi Kawamura, and Sadaharu Inui. The remaining elders waved in greeting.

Fuji and his same intimidating smile. Inui with another journal, taking unnecessary notes. Then Taka, the newly outgoing tennis trainer. Next to Kaidoh, Momo and Ryoma, the four seemed to be the most physically changed.

"We can see that we have already been replaced," Fuji stated happily. Ryuzaki grumbled quickly, eager to change the subject.

"So how's High School Tennis? I'm guessing you made the team," the question was more of a statement. The elder teens nodded in approval.

"So would you guys like to go to the Sushi Shop? My shift is about to start-" Taka hopped in.

"-In twenty minutes," Fuji laughed, emphasizing Taka's early rising.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Most of the Seigaku gang (and former Seigaku Regulars) chatted casually while strolling down to the Sushi Bar. Laughs were thrown, along with various homework items, and insults were merged with an overused 'Mada Mada Dane.' The family-like activity was sliced in half by a piercing voice.

"Oi, shut your mouth Wakato!" The voice had a strange essence to it, like a field of roses and knives. Most of all the threat was female… A familiar scary female with backbone that could break a tree in half. They contained their theories as they 'nonchalantly' waltzed into the Sushi Bar. The scene hald a cast of characters all to familiar.

There stood Shinku Yuzani, and company.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Author's Note:

OMG-g-g. So expected right? Next chapter will be different though. You will not see both Seigaku and Shonan in action together. Instead you will view Shinku's first day at the new school, and the subtle changes she had made.

Ryoma: Angst-Muffin.

Author: Says Ponta Pint over here.

Ryoma: You do know that I am now tall enough to successfully hit you over the head now right?

Author: Bring it Honey!


	13. Duo Union!

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, nor will I even own any of the adorable characters

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Prince of Tennis, nor will I even own any of the adorable characters.

"Speak" - Speaking

_**Speak**_ - Thoughts

Speak – Actions

Flashback

_Most of the Seigaku gang (and former Seigaku Regulars) chatted casually while strolling down to the Sushi Bar. Laughs were thrown, along with various homework items, and insults were merged with a familiar 'Mada Mada Dane.' The family-like activity was sliced in half by a piercing voice._

"_Oi, shut your mouth Wakato!" The voice had a strange essence to it, like a field of roses and knives. Most of all the threat was female… A familiar scary female with backbone that could break a tree in half. They contained their eager theories as they 'nonchalantly' waltzed into the Sushi Bar._

_There stood Shinku Yuzani, and company. _

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Shinku nearly threw her rusted alarm clock (that only worked half the time) at the nearest wall. It was approximately five-thirty in the morning, too early for the ice head. She sluggishly moped to the shower, not even feeling if the water was cool or warm. She blew her hair dry, re-dressed, then finally opened her eyes wide enough to make it through the hallway.

"Hello love! How's your morning?" Shinku's mother turned away from the half cooked breakfast. Her short wispy hair shone a bright ivory-blonde matching her pale yellow eyes. Apparently daughters really _do_ take after their mother's looks.

"Mmmm," Shinku groaned loudly. Definitely not a morning person. None the less, she walked over to the kitchen to gain whatever food her mother made. Even if it did smell strange.

After eating what was on her plate, though she still did not question what it was, Shinku hopped outside to start her first day at the new school.

_**New and improved spacer. **_

_**Oi, whatever Mom served tasted like last night's old fish, but it smelled better… I'll ask later**_. Shinku looked at the sky, making faces that matched her thoughts. Before she knew it she was walking faster than normal. Her inner watch must've alerted her near tardiness, because within a blink she stood in front of the school.

"Huuuge," Shinku mumbled in amazement, strolling into the gargantuan building. The bell rang, signaling students to retrieve their books and get to class. Shinku grimaced at the school. _**What snowball's chance do I have in finding my first class?**_ The powder-haired teenager cocked her head at the crumpled schedule.

"I doubt anyone will help me," Shinku looked around at the near empty parking lot. "I'll just wing it." She spotted two boys about to enter the structure, which caused her lips to crease into a grin.

"Never mind that… Hey! Will you help me? Do you know where this class is?" The two boys looked back for a split second, the sighed in frustration.

One of the boys had short pink hair, almost passing his delicate chin. He was the taller than the other next to him, but looked to be the softer individual. The second had elongated sapphire hair, pulled high in a ponytail that tickled the beginning of his back. Surprisingly, beside the obvious differences, they looked similar. The bubblegum pink boy sighed and grabbed the new student's paper.

"You're with us for your first class, I guess you can follow. Don't fall behind," he sighed and handed the paper back to Shinku, following his other into the school.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Shinku scudded behind both boys, paper in her hand, books on her side, and a confused expression painted on her face. They walked together, blinked and even breathed in perfect unison. Surely they were brothers, but the she wouldn't dare insult them. She slipped into another dazed mood.

"Oi!" Shinku didn't realize that they had reached their desired destination, and that she was walking a little too close behind the bluenette's back. Both boys carelessly sighed, muttering incoherently. The remaining girl loyally followed, only to be stopped by a bubbly woman.

"Why hello there! New student I suppose?"

_**Was it that obvious?**_ The Skillet Wielder nodded without the least bit of embarrassment.

"Well then, tell us about yourself!" the over enthusiastic teacher almost clapped her hands. Shinku scratched her head and rolled her eyes in defeat.

"Okay then… I'm Shinku. I'm quite interested in cooking, thought I don't like reading. I'm horrible at Mathematics," she lowered her head, considering she was in an advanced Math class at the moment, though she didn't strike any black cloud in her teacher's mood, "I don't own any animals, I'm allergic, and… Well I'm pretty good at tennis-_this little bit of information made the two boy's eyebrows rise_-I hope to be a Pro Tennis player in the Singles Division… Oh, and this is my natural hair color." Some girls in the class giggled, but went back to studying her.

Shinku had grown quite a bit as she moved and waited for the school era to start. She had actually grown some feminine muscles-most likely from Summer training-her hair still reached her chin, but somewhat longer. She finally gained meat on her bones, matching her already developed features. Her sunny eyes were riddled with nervousness that never showed. Her pale skin swallowed a bit of color, but still maintained a white luster.

"Interesting! So, Shinku, how about you take a seat… Just sit in front of Kouhei." Shinku followed the teacher's pointed finger to the same pair of boy's she had walked with. There was a bare chair in front of the dark blue boy, who looked at her with bored yet interested eyes. The summoned girl quickly took her seat in front of 'Kouhei,' waiting for the teacher's lecture to start.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

"So it's Shinku, eh?" The unnamed pink boy suddenly appeared by her desk's side. His face was subtly warmer than usual, as if he found something interesting in her last couple of sentences. Even Kouhei seemed lighter than before. What had she said to get the two to actually act nice?

"Yes, my name is Shinku, and yours?" she was about to rant at the boy, lecturing for him to call her 'Yuzani' like she had with the Seigaku Regulars, but decided against it.

"Youhei Tanaka," he replied.

_**Aha! I knew it! I knew, I knew it, I knew it! They are brothers. Their names are practically the same!**_ Her thoughts released a wide smile of triumph on her face. Luckily she pulled the ear-to-ear grin down as the brother blinked.

"So what is your next class?" Youhei had her schedule in his hands before she even spoke. His eyes scanned all of the classes up and down about three times. "Most of these are with us. You may follow again so you don't get lost. Is that alright?" Again, the pink headed boy vaguely sounded intrigued. Yet the opposite snow girl nodded hesitantly.

"She's suspicious," Kouhei whispered to his brother behind the striding Shinku.

_**Have I become an open book?**_ She questioned her obvious/ not so obvious expressions with a cocked eyebrow.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

During the trio's other classes, such as Science, and Language, Shinku was stuck behind the brothers. Youhei and Kouhei backed off Shinku, coaxing her suspicions away, but simultaneously waltzed in front of her, to her next couple of classes. When lunch reared its head, Shinku sat at an empty table, only to be followed by the twins, again.

"Kouhei, are you ready for Hanamura-Sensei? She's aching for us to join the club," Youhei politely ignored Shinku, who sat quietly on his left side.

"You know me better Youhei, of course I'm ready. Is your hearing good enough? Or are you in need of a hearing aid?" The raven-haired brother smirked teasingly.

"No, but I bet you'll need glasses, you've been reading in the dark too much. Hanamura-Sensei will frown upon that," Youhei countered.

_**Hearing aid? Glasses? What are they talking about, who's Hanamura-Sensei?**_ Shinku quietly noted her unanswered questions. Once again, the darker brother answered whatever Shinku was thinking.

"We're talking about tennis, your forte right? In tennis I have the better eyesight, and Youhei has the better hearing. Hanamura-Sensei is our trainer."

_**That's why he's been able to read me like a book, his eyesight must be astounding. **_

"Oh," was her delayed reply.

"And you are in fact easy to read, Youhei can even see past your silence," Kouhei ate a bite of rice. Shinku's face turned brighter than Youhei's hair, getting a small chuckle and smirk out of the brothers. She really _had_ become an open book.

"So, Shinku-san, are you going to try out for girl's tennis?" Youhei's pink tresses glided as he swiftly set his elbows upon the table.

"No," Shinku snapped, but the twins showed no reaction, "the girls probably aren't even remotely close to me. But my view of the girls here, they all care too much about their hair or school uniform. I bet they can't even hit a tennis ball over the tennis court."

"Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of girl's tennis?" Kouhei interrupted the rant. Shinku scowled at the serene boy. His calm eyes never broke.

"Then maybe you could help train us. The rest of us are way stronger. You'll also get to meet the past Regulars who are in high school now. Watch out for a guy named Wakato, he's the worst." Youhei pointed a finger and shook his head at the past memories.

"Kajimoto-sempai is coming back to co-coach us right?" Kouhei raised an eyebrow.

"I think so." both brothers sat quietly for a couple minutes of plain eating. Shinku awkwardly ate her leftovers, unable to find any topic that wouldn't make her sound brain dead or strange. Caught between a rock and a hard place, she just fiddled with her skirt and ate a bit too rushed. The brothers finished together and threw their remainders away. Youhei walked back to the jumpy Shinku.

"Do you know where the tennis area is?"

"Err-"

"That's alright, just follow the signs and meet us there. You'll recognize Hanamura-Sensei. I believe she'll be very happy to see you." He left before the confused, nervous wreck could answer.

"Bye Shinku-san." She waved in return, a little dazed, but still conscious.

_**New and improved spacer. **_

Shinku nearly lost herself in the stretch hallways, running past whatever sign she could find. When she was able to find a part of the building that seemed to be tennis-related, she busted through the door, making an unwanted scene. The doors slammed loudly, attracting a few choice heads. They turned back carelessly after multiple seconds.

She nervously wiped the sweat from her upper lip, while smoothing her changed outfit: black jeans and a light pink Tee. In an instant a crimson haired woman materialized next to her. She was playing with her glimmering glasses, an overly ecstatic smile on her painted lips.

"And who might you be Miss?" Her velvet voice seemed demonic.

"Yuzani Shinku. Or just Shinku. You must be Hanamura-Sensei." Hanamura squealed in delight.

"And you are obviously the one Kouhei and Youhei have told me about! A snowy-haired girl! They've explained that you would be perfect for training help. Come come! Meet the past Regulars." Shinku felt a withdrawal from the situation like she had with the Sei-

"So, you've met my two Masterpieces?"

"You're what?"

"My masterpieces. Youhei and Kouhei!"

"Oh… yes, I have. They speak highly of you," she tried to keep the conversation short of information.

"They have not given me any major information on _you_, I must experiment." The ivory girl felt like a science project, the obvious discomfort tracing her face.

"My masterpieces tell me that you feel as though the girl's tennis team was too weak for you." Shinku nodded. "Then let's start with strength. Daichi Kiriyama!"

"What are you doing?" the awkward newbie questioned Hanamura when she motion a large man over to her presence.

"If I want another trainer, then I want that person to be able to stand up against my masterpieces." Hanamura's eyes reflected dark humor.

_**New and improved spacer**_.

Shinku felt a visible shiver crawl through her spine at the giant. The over-muscled monster held back his scary appearance, seeing Shinku's wimpy stature.

"Use only 30 percent at first. Gradually rise afterwards." Hanamura crossed her arms in approval.

The served looked to be more of a hand wave rather than an actual wrist snap. No more than a blink passed and the ball was already past the girl's head. She cursed inwardly.

"Again." The ball shot out like a shooting cannon, but Shinku gazed a bit of a blur the second time. After three more attempts Shinku was able to find the rhythm in his movement.

"Again!" The ball spun wildly, no cease in speed from the last couple of serves. Shinku dived forwards, driving her racquet into the curled ball. A loud clattering sound rung through the room. Shinku's racquet was discarded twenty feet away, the ball barely on the other side of the net.

"Ow!" the small girl howled in pain, her palm was bruised from the vice grip.

"Again," said Hanamura with a little more interest. Shinku retrieved her racquet, while thinking of a couple moves that might save her from any injuries, all while being able to hit the ball over on her opponent's net.

_**Confusion? No… That move couldn't stand up to the weight of the shot. Shadow Daze? Gah, no… That only works when I'm trying to scare him. Blind Tennis might work… But I cannot even see nor hear the shot enough to return it like that. Defy Nature could work, but this place has a roof. So no. Guess I'm stuck with one other option. Yes, that one will work.**_

_**New and improved spacer.**_

"Again," Hanamura kept a close eye on the two tennis players, waiting for a climax.

The ball came hurdling again, no change in speed, bouncing once, then coming straight towards Shinku.

The ivory haired girl mentally smiled. _**Painless**_. She pulled the same stunt she did with Fudomine, right as the ball looked to be hitting her head, she ducked backwards, gazing at the ball above, as if in slow motion. Several gasps were heard, but one voice spoke out.

"She wasn't hit," Kouhei stated right before Shinku slammed the ball back onto the other side of the court. The larger boy ran towards the shot, and returned it with ease. The pattern continued, until a loud 'Ponk' pronounced itself on Daichi's side. Apparently Shinku made a low shot, opposite of Daichi's special.

"73 percent. Shinku, please come over here." The summoned girl inaudibly groaned. The monster didn't even reach 100 percent. She was pushing 140 and her opponent hadn't even broken a sweat.

"You really are something Shinku, I think I will warm up to the idea of you training," Hanamura sighed happily, "If only you were a boy, I would immediately have you on this team. Training will work just as well. When Kajimoto arrives I shall-"

"Yes Hanamura-Sensei?" a tall boy with semi-spiky cinnamon hair, and a single ear piercing morphed behind the red-head. Hanamura didn't seem phased by the ghostly appearance.

"Kajimoto! We must start immediate training for the other younger masterpieces; here is your partner, Yuzani Shinku." His head moved slightly to the mentioned girl.

"You're oddly familiar." Her face twisted in terror. She also knew the boy, all too well.

"Were you in Geru-Sensei's Dance Class?"

"N-n-no!"

"Yes, I think you we-"

"SHUT UP."

"Yes, you were the one who really sucked at dancing."

Shinku slapped herself with the racquet until her burning face seemed natural. Youhei and Kouhei chuckled in the background. Kajimoto seemed oblivious to the girl's embarrassment. Hanamura laughed angelically and pushed Shinku onto the court with Kajimoto and the twins. She chose to compose herself, and calmly looked up, still a little red-faced.

"We're playing against Youhei and Kouhei?"

"I see you've already met them, but yes we are." The small opponent noted Kajimoto's strained face. He must've not been much of a talker, and she liked that.

**_New and improved spacer._**

Kajimoto readied for the served, announcing a muttered yell.

"100 percent." Shinku gulped.

The soft-spoken Kajimoto bent all the way back until his head could touch the tip of his heels. The snow-head's mouth dropped widely, earning another teasing from the twins. This move must've been common for them. The bending pretzel came back up, swinging the racquet, sending the ball into the court harder than Shinku's last opponent. Her mouth was still gaping. Kouhei and Youhei threw it back like a cotton ball. Wait. Youhei and Kouhei?

"Duo Union!" The twins locked racquets and served back the ball.

_**Ponk.**_

Kajimoto slammed the ball back, which was considered lucky, because Shinku had not yet ceased her star struck state. Kouhei appeared right before the ball and hit it towards Shinku. Her partner looked as if he was going to step in to block the girl, but decided against it. Shinku had to keep both hands on the racquet to keep from losing her dazed grip.

**_Ponk_**.

The ball nearly missed the net, sliding back over for Youhei to faze in and hit the ball back, twice as hard as before. By instinct, Shinku jumped back for the ball to glide into the air, and then slammed the ball into the ground on the other end, but Kouhei was already waiting for the shot. He then returned the flying tennis ball, past Shinku's leg. Kouhei had won a point.

"How did he do that?" she wondered aloud, even though she already knew the answer. The question was meant to be rhetorical, but Kajimoto jumped in.

"Kouhei has spectacular eyesight, so his prediction of the location of the ball. Youhei's hearing enables him to be able to predict the ball's location as well. A tough team to beat." Shinku furrowed her eyebrow together.

"How about we use that against them?" Kajimoto seemed semi-interested. Shinku motioned for her partner to come closer, to cut off Youhei's hearing abilities. Kajimoto nodded after the theory, approving of her thoughts.

"They might expect this, even surpass it. Hopefully this will work."

_**New and improved spacer**_.

Kajimoto began his unnatural serving technique, sending the yellow rocket out for the twins. Again the boys used 'Duo Union,' waiting for any movement or sounds to trigger their senses. Shinku grinned when the ball started flying towards her.

"Oi, Youhei over here!" she hollered at the top of her lungs. The bubblegum boy blinked in irritation, girls excelled in volume, missing his chance at hitting the return.

"Youhei, pay attention!" Kouhei arrived at his brother's side, barely hitting the tennis ball, but sadly couldn't retrieve the hit. He huffed, keeping a pretty face, waiting patiently for the next serve.

When the next hit came back, it was aimed for Kajimoto. When the ball flew skywards, he hopped and craned his head then ducking it, creating a looming shadow over his flawless face. He looked more of a vampire than a boy. An obvious trick Shinku taught him on the spot, a classic subliminal move. **_Shadow Daze._**

It worked too, because right as Kouhei began staring into the creepy eyes of his superior, Kouhei nearly missed the falling shot. Shinku easily served it back and gained another point. The same pattern went on, finally ending in the twins gaining the game when they finally unraveled Kajimoto and Shinku's tricks.

"The both of you put up a heck of a game," the twins confessed breathlessly.

"You actually tried something unexpected."

"Though it got old quickly," Kouhei sighed. Kajimoto and Shinku took the compliment and gave them a crooked grin.

"I believe you children earned a nice lunch break." Hanamura stated, taking a strange mercy out on the group.

"My mother told me of the perfect Sushi place, but it's a bit far. Still she's told me that they have fish almost jumping off the walls." After a few moments of consideration, the group went out for the Sushi Shop.

_**Interesting, these boys are almost alien-like, perfect, and even a little monotone, but they're like Seigaku.**_ Shinku felt a little tug at her chest. _**How strange that with one look, all can be explained. Maybe Shonan won't be so bad. I'll get my training, and even make a couple of friends. Boy, Mom is sure going to be going all out tonight. **_Shinku nearly smiled.

_**New and improved spacer**_.

Author's Note:

Wahoo! Chappie finished! Tee Hee, I love the twins so much. XD

So? Reviews, Critics? Sorry this chapter is a bit rushed at the end, but it was getting way too long, and I just wanted to end it!

Wait until next chappie and you'll se the Seigaku and Jyousei teams reunite!

Speaking of which, the next chapter occurs a couple weeks after Shinku meets the tennis team. So she is better acquainted with them, so minor OOC-ness might pop up, please don't flame it.

Yay, Shinku isn't a skinny stick anymore! She got hips, woot for natural waists.

Kouhei: I sound like a jerk in this chapter.

Author: You're the younger sibling. Therefore, you have more whiny adolescent problems that cause your parents ear pain. You are distant and want no friends other than your pink-haired brother, so you seem rude and arrogant. It's natural in most sibling personalities. My logic is flawless.

Kouhei: No it isn't. I will hit you over the head with my tennis racquet.

Author: I'll just get Youhei to protect me. He's the nicer one!

Kouhei: SHUT UP.


	14. Catching Up with Friends

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, nor will I even own any of the adorable characters

**Disclaimer**: I sadly don't own Prince of Tennis.

"Speak" - Speaking

_**Speak**_ - Thoughts

Speak – Actions

Flashback

_**Interesting, these boys are almost alien-like, perfect, and even a little monotone, but they're like Seigaku.**__ Shinku felt a little tug at her chest. __**How strange that with one look, all can be explained. Maybe Shonan won't be so bad. I'll get my training, and even make a couple of friends. Boy, Mom is sure going to be going all out tonight. **__Shinku nearly smiled_.

_**New and improved spacer**_.

Eiji sputtered, little Shinku had actually grown into a woman, and was with other males! He would not tolerate that, considering Shinku was nearly a sister to him. Yet happiness flowed through his veins, resulting in him bursting through the doors and tackling Shinku to the ground.

"Yuzani-san! Nya, you're here! You're actually here! Nya, did you miss me? Look I got my hair cut, and grew! I'm taller than Oishi! A-"

"Eiji what on Earth are you doing?" The kitty boy cocked his head innocently, arching into a playful cat stature.

"I'm happy you're here. How's school? Are you still playing tennis? Do you want to help Seigaku practice again? D-"

"Eiji! One question at a time!"

"Okay. Nya! How's school, and why are you hanging out with this group?" he looked up at the Jyousei gang.

"They're my friends. School's been interesting. I can't really say I enjoy it." Eiji smiled at the old Shinku's attitude. He took a couple steps back, examining her new look.

She still wore her same black tank top and black jeans from the cabin, but she seemed different. He pushed the thought aside, letting the other Regulars actually enter the doorway.

Ryoma seemed unimpressed, waving nonchalantly at the long lost girl. Fuji walked over to pet the still-short child's hair. Since Taka didn't know Shinku as well as the others, he just politely nodded. Inui took out his notebook for more pointless writing, sending a small wave to the girl. Momoshiro ran up and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, also ruffling her snow white hair. Kaidoh stood back, keep a void between their eyes. But he could feel Shinku smile at him.

_**Strange**_, was his simple thought. Even he knew Shinku better, and he certainly knew she smiled at nearly nothing.

"Yuzani-san we must catch up! Do you know how much stuff happened when you left? Taka got a girlfriend! Poor Oishi is short now. Tezuka is still the all powerful tennis prodigy, and is already helping with the teams. Fuji hair grew _long_, and he won't cut it! And-" Shinku humored the boy by laughing at whatever was funny, nodding randomly, and even throwing in some details of her own. Some of the Jyousei Shonan Regulars listened in close behind.

"So you're still playing tennis? Why aren't you on any teams?"

"These girls are too wimpy for tennis, so I'm helping some of the Jyousei Regulars practice." Shinku pointed to the eavesdroppers behind her.

"Nya! Cool, so how's that working out?" Eiji raised his head to the tennis boys.

"She's actually surprisingly good," Kouhei admitted lowly.

"I've played with her only one, and she tricked me. She plays dirty," Eiji threw a playfully cold look to Shinku.

"It's called Painless, and she's used it multiple times." Kouhei sighed.

"Painless? No originality," Eiji shook his head. Youhei and Wakato chuckled under their breath. "Anyway… Ochibi and Momo tell me that Kaidoh has been acting quite strange since school started."

"What do you mean?" Her eyebrows knitted together.

"He hasn't been as mean, he's actually quite mellow. At least that's what they say. Maybe you know something?"

"I don't understand." Eiji shrugged off the topic.

"Maybe he's just tired or something. So when can you come visit us?"

"I'm visiting you now right? My school is surprisingly farther than I thought, and I've only been coming here to see you all. But apparently you guys don't come here that often, or late at night, or even early in the morning," Shinku lowered her voice as much as she could. Jyousei only bent their heads closer.

"Oh," Eiji chuckled in embarrassment.

"I better be going. We've been here almost an hour, most of that time me procrastinating so you guys could arrive."

"You can't stay?"

"No, but I'll try to come back as soon as I can. Maybe then I could talk to Kaidoh."

"He's outside now."

"I'll try." Eiji nodded gleefully, letting Shinku walk around him, keeping the conversation weasels occupied.

_**New and improved spacer**_.

"Kaidoh?" he turned his head. "How have you been?" Shinku said, stepping purposely on her shoelace. Viper turned his head slightly towards her direction, then continued glaring at the passing cars.

Shinku also glared at the cars under the fuming sun, playing along with Kaidoh's game.

"You're acting weird, and not the usual snake weird… Freaky weird." Kaidoh snapped his head towards her.

"Like you don't know. Your friends have mentioned that you-"

"Fsshhh," he hissed dangerously.

"Like it isn't obvious. You aren't inside trying to kill Momoshiro."

"True," was all he muttered.

"Why are you acting like that?" he turned to her again questionably.

"What's bugging you?"

"Fsshhh, what's with you? You've changed too."

"You're more perceptive than I thought," Shinku's lips twitched with a grin.

"Like that," Kaidoh squinted, referring to the girl's chipper expression, then hissed again.

"You're impossible Kaidoh."

"It's just different, Fsshhh. Just too plain different."

"So are you. You actually looked like you had a soul when you lived in my cabin."

"Times have changed."

"So have you."

"Hypocrite!" both teenagers exclaimed. Shinku chuckled darkly while Kaidoh hissed in embarrassment.

"Think about this Kaidoh. Sometimes change is good." Shinku opened the door for the Jyousei Regulars, half of the lot pinned against the doors and windows.

_**Sometimes change isn't for the best**_. Kaidoh pushed into the Sushi Shop.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Author's Note:

Short Chapter. Very Short Chapter.

Review Love Huggles for you.

Kouhei: What was the purpose for this chapter?

Author: DO NOT JUDGE ME. It was just a break from the last chapter, and it was just supposed to be a reunion between Kaidoh and Shinku.


	15. Take Me to Seigaku

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, nor will I even own any of the adorable characters

**Disclaimer**: I sadly don't own Prince of Tennis.

"Speak" - Speaking

_**Speak**_ - Thoughts

Speak – Actions

Flashback

"_It's just different, Fsshhh. Just too plain different." _

"_So are you. You actually looked like you had a soul when you lived in my cabin."_

"_Times have changed."_

"_So have you."_

"_Hypocrite!" both teenagers exclaimed. Shinku just chuckled darkly while Kaidoh hissed in embarrassment._

"_Think about this Kaidoh. Sometimes change is good." Shinku opened the door for the Jyousei Regulars, half of the lot pinned against the doors and windows. _

_**Sometimes change isn't for the best**__. Kaidoh pushed into the Sushi Shop._

_**New and improved spacer.**_

The following day was normal, Shinku sitting in front of the twins, the twins walking with her to their classes. Until lunch, the twins had remained quiet.

"Oi, Shinku-san," Youhei gained the girl's attention. "Would you like to go to the park in Seigaku's area for a tennis date?"

"Wha-"

"Actually your friend Momo challenged us to a re-match and we need a ref," Kouhei explained. Shinku nodded in an understanding gesture, a bit dissapointed.

"Just meet us at the bus station around Eleven on Saturday, we'll wait." The boys threw away their trash to leave the lunchroom early. "See ya Shinku-san."

_**I can't believe I really thought that they were setting me up on a date with them.**_ _**Seigaku**_… Shinku shook her head.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Saturday finally arrived after two days that seemed to last for eternity. Shinku seemed a little anxious, though she was not entirely sure why. The rest of Jyousei were unaware of the behavior, continuing living life breathlessly. Shinku envied their oblivious nature.

She rustled through her closet until she found a plain black Tee with a pink flower posted around the chest area. She dug out another pair of black jeans and changed quickly, not bothering to look like she was going on a literal date. Glancing at the clock several times until it changed by a single unit, Shinku sighed, grabbing her hiking bag and headed for the door.

"Hey Mom I'm going out!"

"Make sure you come back. It may be Saturday, but Youhei and Kouhei have curfews too!" Shinku's mother shouted from the Living Room.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Kouhei and Youhei were waiting for her at the bus station, just as they promised. Kouhei twiddled with his thimble fingers while his brother tapped the bus stop sign with his knuckles. The elder brother waved serenely, not taking his occupied hand on the bus sign.

"You brought your racquets?" Kouhei blinked.

"Maybe I'll hit a couple against a brick wall." The brothers mouthed an 'oh,' while nodded their oddly colored heads.

While on the bus, Youhei sat next to Shinku, Kouhei turned away looking at the passing scenery. Youhei and Shinku fed a very enthusiastic conversation on pointless topics.

"Since when was your mother a master deer hunter? Is that even a real career?"

"No, but she's pretty handy with a gun."

"Animal killer."

"Bubble gum head."

"Says vanilla hair."

Kouhei groaned loudly at the bantering.

"Quiet blueberry," both teased at the sapphire boy. He stood vertically when the bus halted for their stop.

"Time to get off. Snow-Head, Rosy-Boy." Kouhei had won the fight.

_**New and improved spacer**_.

The trio impatiently clicked their shoes, waiting for the loudmouth Momoshiro, and his chosen partner. The watch glowed 3:20 when finally an obnoxious scream pierced every surrounding mammal's ears.

"RYOMA! NO PONTA FOR YOU!" Momoshiro was sprinting full force with Ryoma stumbling behind. Within seconds Momo stood, panting heavily, with Ryoma in a semi-headlock.

"Sorry," he coughed, "Ryoma slept in and wanted to stop for Ponta. Most of the machines were drained, and-"

"No excuses, let's just get this over with," the brothers stated in unison, suddenly exhaling bitter breaths. The other pair agreed with a smirk.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

"Alright in the game Momoshiro-Tanaka, team Momoshiro serves first," Shinku explained from the center, behind the caged fence. The two tennis pairs clenched their racquets and readied for the game to begin.

_**I'm going to win this time**_, Momoshiro grimaced.

_**Hair boy has nothing on us**_, the twins chuckled evilly.

_**Mada Mada Dane. **_

Momoshiro rose towards the clouds, hitting his serve before either team could even blink. He must've improved over the weeks, but the Tanaka twins were at the destination point in an instant.

Ponk.

Ryoma picked up the return, serving with just as much strength. Still, Youhei and Kouhei struck back with their signature 'Duo Union' shot. Ryoma and Momo were unable to return the tennis ball.

"0-15," Shinku kept her voice dead to avoid rooting for a certain team, even if she was attempting to cheer for Seigaku. The twins struck a smug pose.

The pattern of shot continued, Momoshiro occasionally using a Dunk Slam or some other form of muscular specialty, Ryoma would show off with his class serves and trick shots. Yet the Tanaka Duo would return each fancy named shot back with unnatural ease. The losing team seemed to be dead in the water. Inui popped out of nowhere, studying carefully next to Shinku, also helping keep score when she could barely keep her eyes open from the sunlight. Fuji also made a guest appearance, smiling and giggling at the game.

"Game to Tanaka, 0-3," Shinku raised an eyebrow. Both teams looked to be tuckered out of breath and energy. "You four take a break." Momoshiro and Ryoma shook their heads reluctantly. "Now," the boys shivered at the familiar bark, then made their way to the water fountain and bench. Youhei and Kouhei laughed at Ryoma and Momoshiro's priceless expression.

"That's the Shinku I remember," Fuji nodded.

_**New and improved spacer**_.

Shinku kept up the fast paced scoring, switching with Inui every couple of serves. Ryoma and Momoshiro's energy ranked practically endless, even if Youhei and Kouhei threw all their chances of winning towards the ground. Said twins continually served, returned and scored with ease. Only when the twins lost no more than 2 of their energy was when the losing teams began to attack.

"Game to Seigaku! That's… 4-7 games!" Shinku raised an ivory eyebrow at the score. "Will they ever stop?" She thought audibly, not taking her eyes off the clipboard. Fuji was the one to answer.

"Most likely not. Momoshiro will not give up until he's won, even if it takes days or it kills him. Ryoma will most likely to be the first to back out, but he's too stubborn to admit it. Then the Jyousei boys are well trained, so it might be awhile before either team throws in the towel."

"But Youhei and Kouhei know their limits, even _they_ would be smart enough to know when to quit."

"They're boys, it's a pride thing." Shinku chose not to dig deeper into the topic. Fuji smiled triumphantly.

_**New and improved spacer**_.

"Game to Seigaku! Now the score is…7-8 games. Break time, now." The boys looked to be a little bit more eager to take another break. Ryoma and Momoshiro collapsed on the benches, gracefully. Youhei and Kouhei strolled over to get a drink of water, racquet tight in their hands. After an hour and a half, you'd guess everyone would've died from the heat or running by now.

"I'm going to go grab a drink and quick snack. You guys want anything?" Shinku pointed to a nearby convenience store behind her, she echoed the question loud enough for the near-passed out boys. They groaned a small 'yes' along with 'Ponta' following close behind. She took the answers and started for the small store.

"… How many Ponta flavors are there?" Shinku gawked at the entire row dedicated to the juice. She just grabbed a random colored can and headed for another drink aisle. When she turned the corner she slammed into another individual. The collision sent her to the floor, but kept the other firm on the ground. She looked up to be staring at Kaidoh.

_**How many places can this guy appear that I'm already in?**_ "What are you doing here?"

He raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'I could say the same to you.' "Fsshhh, and what about you?"

Shinku rose from the ground, "I'm watching a fight. Want to join?" She tried to sound casual. Kaidoh was becoming more confused than before.

"It's between Ryoma, Momo, and two of the Jyousei boys." Kaidoh made several thinking expressions.

"I guess," he put a little hiss at the end of the sentence. Shinku paid for the drinks and headed back into the unbearable sun.

"DRINKS!" Shinku yelled, while shoving the drinks towards the other boys. Ryoma grimaced at the Ponta.

"Wrong fl-"

"Get over it." She walked over to the bench to hand the water bottles to Youhei and Kouhei. Kaidoh stood back several feet, unable to near the opposing team.

"Are you guys ever going to stop?" Youhei and Kouhei shook their heads.

"Is it a pride thing?" She asked, echoing Fuji's words. Kouhei raised an eyebrow, Youhei snickered.

"We may be guys, but we are tame. It has nothing to do with pride," he defended. Shinku rolled her eyes, and left the duo to restart the game.

"Okay! Break's over, get back to the game, score is 7-8. Jyousei still in the lead, Jyousei's serve." The game was beginning to be boring. She really hadn't viewed anything new from the boys, yet they were stronger. Their spirits rose to unimaginable levels. She didn't realize her lengthy staring until Inui started calling out the plays.

_**Their strength has raised so much, how can I ever compete with that? They keep getting better and better, and I'm still stuck in one place. What's holding me back?**_

_**New and improved spacer. **_

The sun receded behind the tallest buildings, not yet dusk, but still signaled the end of the game.

"Jyousei's game, 12 games to 13. Jyousei wins," Shinku groaned in weariness. Fuji stood behind, to provide support, since she was bound to fall over. "C'mon, we have a curfew, I need to be back." The whiny tone in her voice made Shinku bow her head in embarrassment. But the boys chose to give in before she collapsed in front of their eyes.

"How about we settle this next week?" Momoshiro was on the verge of a compromise. Ryoma rolled his eyes. Youhei and Kouhei didn't even have to look at one another before they answered.

"We can't, practice with the rest of the team." Shinku's eyes widened.

They were lying their tiny, little, tennis playing butts off. They didn't have practice. It was a free day, a surprisingly mercy from Hanamura-Sensei. (Which indicated that the following week was going to be twice as worse to make up for the free day.) She began to say something, but was stopped when Kouhei gently stood on her foot. She held her tongue.

"How about two weeks from now?" Youhei was searching for another break from training. One little week wouldn't make much of a difference after a free day. They could handle Hanamura's wrath.

"Sounds good."

"Mada Mada Dane Momoshiro-Senpai," Ryoma growled in warning, but bit his lip. He knew he would be forced into another game anyway.

_**New and improved spacer. **_

Youhei walked ahead of Shinku, holding all three racquet cases. Kouhei walked behind her in case she insisted on falling from fatigue; which almost occurred during the tennis battle. Shinku trotted on, she could feel a bit of a moody twist coming on. She tried to ignore her grumpiness by starting a conversation.

"So what are you guys doing over the break?"

"Sleeping," Kouhei muttered.

"Studying. What about you Shinku-san?"

"I'm going on a date with Kaidoh."

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Author's Note:

OHSHIZ. Didn't see that coming did you? Eh, you probably did. Oh well.

Tune in whenever, and see into SHINKU'S DATE WITH KAIDOH.

Reviews taste like Computers: useful and full of information. (Yet they don't taste very good. Computer Screen equals ewww. )

Luffles your Mooney!


	16. Lakeside Loving

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, nor will I even own any of the adorable characters

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

"Speak" - Speaking

_**Speak**_ - Thoughts

Speak – Actions

Flashback

"_So what are you guys doing over the break?"_

"_Sleeping," Kouhei muttered. _

"_Studying. What about you Shinku-san?"_

"_I'm going on a date with Kaidoh."_

_**New and improved spacer.**_

The twins slowed to a stop to face the girl, Kouhei coming up behind to stare at her face to face.

"Oh really now?" The harmonious answer struck familiar to Shinku. She nodded hesitantly.

"Why do you ask?" The duo looked at each other for a second before Youhei answered.

"We didn't even think you socialized," he changed his words quickly when he saw the ivory head's face start to burn, "I mean… We didn't even know you had feelings for the Seigaku team."

"Well I do," she tried to keep her voice level.

"So where are you going?" Kouhei ignored the fact that he was prying. Shinku noticed the intrusion, but answered.

"He's coming to our town this time. We're going to the park," she left our vital details to see if the boys would try to dig deeper, but Youhei and Kouhei quickly dropped the topic. The rest of the trip was a bit awkward, not much chattering as before.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Monday and Tuesday rolled by like lightning, but Wednesday dragged on sluggishly. Yet it was Thursday that Shinku started growing restless. How had she even asked out Kaidoh in the first place? Did she mention the term 'hanging out' or did she really state the word 'date?' Did the word usage even matter? Would Kaidoh feel as anxious as she felt? The words spun in Shinku's head so much that she was beginning to make her own headache.

During English, Shinku sat next to Kouhei, with Youhei behind. So Youhei was repeatedly passing notes to his brother to Shinku, with Kouhei occasionally adding his thoughts on the paper conversation.

Youhei's pen scribbled the question: _Did you get the lesson? I need to copy your notes._

Shinku scrawled back with a bit more enthusiasm. The anxiety was still eating at her movements. _Were you working on the Mathematics' homework again?_

_No, I was passing notes to Katsumi. I didn't have time to write anything else._

Shinku huffed inwardly, but wrote in return: _Fine, just take them off my desk when the bell rings. I have to leave early for Tennis Practice._ A bit of ink stained the first word with a tint of spite audible. She passed the note back, but Youhei didn't return it. Shinku guessed that he realized the point she made. She deliberately left her notebook on the table, and then walked out the door with her early leaving note visible.

Five minutes later the bell rang, and Youhei received the notes.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Shinku was batting a couple tennis balls to training Regulars, each hit stronger than the last.

"Shinku-sempai!" A pitiful trainee cried out at the hothead. She managed to answer with a questionable 'Hn?' The trainees were in fetal positions on the ground, yellow tennis balls surrounding their frail bodies. Apparently her violent fury had taken its toll on the children.

"Er… Sorry, I thought you could handle it," she lied steadily. "We'll continue with easy exercises." The frightened kids stood up shakily, but readied for another attack. She tossed a couple shots over the net, the opponents serving back with great ease.

"Great job Iko, you too Yumine. Put a little more bend in your knees Uni," Shinku coaxed the kids, gaining a couple crooked grins from her peers afterwards. She traced over to her bag of racquets to grab a lighter weapon. She would be starting her practice with the twins soon, and she wanted to try out one of her special attacks on them. She grabbed the lightweight racquet and walked over to Hanamura.

"Hanamura-Sensei, who will I be pairing up with for this practice?" The colorful woman turned to Shinku, grasping her in a chesty hug; another ritual for one of Hanamura's 'masterpieces.'

"Today you will be working with Wakato this time. Kajimoto is working with the others today." Shinku made a sour face. _**Wakato**_… She tore up a pretty little picture of the boy in her mind. He was the same as all the metrosexuals: Cocky, self indulgent, overly popular with women. Everything she hated. He was just too perfect, except for when he forgot his hairspray.

"Oh now don't give me that face Shinku-chan. He means well. Just play a game with him against my duo."

_**Kajimoto is a better player**_, she grimaced.

"Shinku! Come come my dear child, let us beat the twins." Wakato's voice erupted from behind the snow headed girl, bringing her to the field where Youhei and Kouhei were already waiting.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Youhei and Kouhei ended up winning, because Wakato couldn't change personalities enough to gain a game. Shinku tried her usual tricks, but the boys caught on all too quickly. To null Shinku's attacks, Youhei put in earplugs, and Kouhei didn't look at the girl, but relied on the ball's movement instead. The loss earned Wakato a meaningless whack on the head from Shinku.

"Aww, we'll get them next time dear child." Wakato patted the fuming girl's back.

"Next time?!"

_**New and improved spacer. **_

The next day Shinku received a note from Youhei.

_Shinku-san, why were you so strange yesterday? _

_**Oh Crap**_, someone noticed her odd behavior. Blue prints of a masterful plan entered her mind.

_I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about._

This time Kouhei wrote back: _You know what we're talking about; your near kill on the first years, the sour mood…_ The list was cut short when Kouhei was about to spell 'anxiety.' He really didn't feel like outing the girl.

_Nothing. It's nothing_. Shinku didn't return the note when it was passed back to her. She only kept it until the bell, and then stuck it secretly in her book.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Shinku ate lunch outside that day, hoping that the twins wouldn't follow her. Her prayer was knocked short when she saw Youhei and Kouhei coming forward with their lunches.

"Did you really think you could hide from us?" Youhei had a crooked grin. Kouhei casually swiped her books and took the note out. She had replied: _I'm not jealous of Katsumi. I'm just anxious about the date! _The writing was scribbled out several times till the last sentence was visible.

"So you really are anxious," Kouhei answered in a metallic way. Shinku grasped the note in her hand and threw it in the trash can. Her cheeks lit fire.

"Shut up," she mumbled it embarrassment. The twins only chuckled in their own twisted humor.

"So I'm guessing you've never been on a date?" Youhei squinted under his bubblegum pink tresses. Shinku nodded, blush still heavy.

"And you had to take it out on future regulars." She slapped Kouhei for the remark about her training style.

"Shinku!" a shrill unwanted tone called. The summoned girl looked up from her cherry daze. The voice was Katsumi, the captain of the girl's tennis team.

"What?" was her masterful reply.

"Yuzani Shinku! What are you doing hanging around my boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" Shinku looked at Youhei then back at Katsumi. She studied the differences and similarities between the two.

Katsumi was a bit similar, considering she had pure pink icing hair. The cotton candy locks hung straight down to her lower back, twisted into a messy but still stylish ponytail. Her sharp sky blue eyes looked over Shinku with suspicion. She was beautiful; Shinku had to admit to that. Katsumi nearly beat Shinku's height by a couple of centimeters. Her long lean body was that of a supermodel's, so the way she wore her uniform didn't help null her image.

Yet this girl was mean… cold, a little insane, even possible heartless, along with being slightly possessive and coming off as a bit of a whore.

"Yes boyfriend! Now get away from him you cow," Katsumi exclaimed loudly with the key of a thousand swinging chainsaws. Shinku raised one of her ivory eyebrows.

"Why? Isn't he allowed friends?" Shinku looked at Youhei as if to laugh and say: 'You're whipped.' Youhei rubbed his temples, then he stood up to walk over to Katsumi.

"Katsumi-chan…" he whispered, "It's alright: she's just a friend." Katsumi latched onto his neck, only to rest her head lovingly on his chest. She started the whiny pathetic charade with him.

"But Kouhei… Can't you just stay with you other friends? Who aren't ugly girls?" Her pout was so beyond fake, Shinku almost gagged, but stopped when she heard the hiss 'ugly.' Her temper got the best of her.

"What did you say?!" Shinku's fists balled into tight angry boxing gloves. Katsumi tried to act innocent.

"What? Oh Shinku, don't scare me with that ugly face!" She buried her head back into Youhei's chest. Shinku was about to bash Katsumi's head in with a skillet (if only she had one) but Youhei tugged on her skirt lightly, shaking his head subtly. She huffed in frustration, threw away her full box of food, and headed for her next class, even though lunch had barely started. Youhei followed her.

_**New and improved spacer**_.

"Freaking… Ugly… Stupid, little girl think she… " Shinku uttered several choice curses as she continued ranting about Youhei's taste in women. Kouhei listened patiently before interrupting her.

"You know she's just jealous," Kouhei said, coming up from behind the girl.

"How?" Shinku strained to keep a neutral voice without bursting into fuming tears.

"You spend a lot more time with my brother than she does."

"So? That doesn't mean a thing."

"Maybe it's because you are the better tennis player."

"What does tennis have to do with anything?!" Her voice rose. Kouhei winced at her volume.

"In his defense, he really doesn't have any taste in women. He just kind of chooses a girl, and that's it. There's really no logic in his choices." Shinku chuckled.

"Who would want to be with that witch anyhow?" She laughed again. Kouhei was trying to ease the girl out of her angry state. It was working.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Despite Kouhei's coaxing, Shinku still ignored Youhei. But that didn't stop Youhei from passing a note to her.

_You know you made Katsumi cry afterwards._ Shinku sneered at the note.

_It was all fake, stupid. Everything about her his fake!_ Youhei was actually beginning to get angry at Shinku.

_She isn't fake Shinku-san. By the way… She challenges you to a tennis match. Next Saturday._ Shinku didn't return the note. This time she threw the note away at the end of class.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Saturday finally came, and Shinku was as ecstatic as ever. _**A date with Kaidoh…**_

Luckily she didn't have to dress out, so she just put on a black long sleeved shirt with a light honey tank top over. She also wore her famous black jeans, with black flats. Hopefully she wasn't too short in her flats for Kaidoh. She didn't want to be a bird next to a lion. Shinku chuckled at her own metaphor.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Shinku stood, waiting for Kaidoh at the train station, semi-dressed up for a simple walk in the park.

"I wonder if Jyousei will follow me around… No, they have better things to do than to watch me make a fool of myself in front of a boy."

"Did you get shorter?" Kaidoh asked, appearing right in front of Shinku. She jumped a couple feet back. The flats lowered her even more than she predicted. Kaidoh made an amused expression at her twitching feet. (Which were aching to break out of the footwear.)

"Not shorter. You just grew too much." Shinku chuckled. Kaidoh looked to be warming up to Shinku's new, sweetened nature. But he did notice something off balance.

"You're… Distracted?" The lengthy conversation was killing him.

"Kinda." _**Crap, I really am an open book**_. Kaidoh raised an eyebrow from under his bandana.

"Well… This really ugly girl challenged me to a tennis match next week. She's Youhei's girlfriend and the captain of the girl's tennis team. She also hates me to the fullest extent and insists on comparing me to obese animals." Kaidoh brooded, not at Shinku, but at the girl she was describing.

"Fsssshhhh… Want me to scare her?" Shinku knew he would do it too, one look into the eyes of the Viper, and you'll be six feet under in no time.

"No, no… It's fine. I'll just beat her scrawny little butt next week. Wanna come and watch? You can bring the others. It'll be like dinner theatre, just bring food."

"I'll do that. Fsshhh… Fuji will have fun insulting the brat in multiple languages."

"That's Fuji for ya." Both banterers hadn't realized that they didn't move an inch from the train station.

"Er… Maybe we should move." Kaidoh looked at the weary travelers.

"Fsshhh," he agreed.

_**New and improved spacer. **_

"Where should we go first?" Shinku looked at the surrounding stores and Food Courts. Kaidoh hissed in thought.

_**I've seen people do this before. They guys usually take the girls to the jewelry store… But I don't have that kind of money, and I'm not taking her honeymooning to Paris. Maybe just a Food Court, then a walk across the park.**_

"Food Court?" Kaidoh pointed to a random restaurant. It was nothing high classy, and nothing high in oil. It was just a normal Eatery. Shinku seemed eager to the idea.

The meal went out regularly; the waitress/waiter didn't hit on Shinku or Kaidoh, the food arrived on time (so a scene was not made about bad food or late entrance.) The feast was just… normal. Yet for some odd reason Shinku felt uneasy about the simplicity of the date. Even Kaidoh fidgeted often.

_**What's with me? The waitress didn't give Kaidoh any sort of flirtation invite, and I wasn't harassed by a waiter. Oh dear Lord… I'm watching too many romance movies.**_

"So the park right?" Shinku stressed a conversation. Kaidoh nodded.

"Fsshhh…"

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Both first time daters walked towards the park awkwardly. Kaidoh didn't know if he should grab her hand and skip, or to just sweep her up in his arms, so her just strolled a little too closely to the girl, lightly brushing fingertips with her.

Her head hung loosely, the only object in her vision being her shoes. She also had no idea what her actions should be. Her thoughts consisted of either jumping Kaidoh right then and there or just to rest her head against the bulky shoulder.

"We're here," she said, snapping herself out of her own thoughts. The park was even more beautiful than either person would have imagined.

The park was gated in only in the front, sporting a long row of an off white fence, shielding a healthy ocean of trees of all different races. A glittering pond peeked from behind a line of trees and shrubs, wildflowers caressing the base of the trunks. Benches were place precisely under the shadier trees, with lamp posts not far away. The grasses were freshly cut, all weeds rippled from the flawless terrain. People were walking happily with their pets, lovers, children, ect. Kaidoh felt his mouth close when Shinku pulled him into the park and onto the sidewalk.

"Eh… Where are we going? Fsshhh." Viper felt a little sweat start to pile up under his bandanna, beneath his forehead. Shinku whipped her head back to look at him, but didn't speak until they reached a pond.

"This is where… Oh never mind. You don't need to know that," she mumbled with a blush. "Let's just sit down here for awhile."

"Know about what," Kaidoh asked, sitting down next to Shinku.

"I'll tell you later." Kaidoh chose to shrug off the subject, for the time being at least.

"So how was the first day with… Fsshhh, Jyousei?" The choice of conversation was obviously a little tender to the girl.

"… Okay I guess… All that happened was I saw the twins, and asked for help. I think my talent for tennis rose their interest. Then they took me to Hanamura-Sensei, who showed me the rest of the Regulars. Nothing special." Shinku slipped out of her shoes and dipped her toes into the pond.

"Fsshhh. Are you sure that's safe?"

"Yeah, it's not like any fish live in the pond, and there aren't any harmful chemicals that will kill me."

"Oh, never mind then."

The two awkward teens talked for several more hours, ignoring whatever time they were wasting in front of the pond. The two didn't even realize that the subjects they touched were merely pointless. It wasn't until the sun began dissolving that the two actually realized the time.

"Kaidoh you need to be home soon!" Shinku scolded herself when she saw the sun. But Kaidoh just shrugged.

"Will you tell me what you were going to saw now?"

"About what?"

"Fsshhh, about the whole pond is related to something."

"Oh well… Promise you won't laugh." Kaidoh's eyebrow raised as if to say 'Do I ever?'

"When I first came here, I sat down to look at the clouds, and the first thing I saw in the cloud formations was a snake, than all of the sudden your name popped into my head." Shinku put her head between her knees; she really didn't want to see Kaidoh's face.

When she chose to lift her head back up, she saw Kaidoh, gently leaning towards her. She flinched in realization of what he was about to do. So instead of turning her head, Kaidoh fell beside her ear, onto her temple. His lips fell in the wrong spot, but neither person moved. The world seemed to freeze in place for both kids, until the chatter of moving adults behind them awoke their stature. Shinku repositioned her head to look at Kaidoh.

"Fsshhh, home right?"

"Right." Both stood up, Shinku taking Kaidoh's hand for the short journey to the bus station.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Author's Note:

Sorry for any OOC-ness. I know people get picky about that sort of stuff.

Youhei: I do not have a bad taste in women!

Author: Sureee, just keep telling that to yourself kiddo.

Reviews Please!


	17. SlapFight

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, nor will I even own any of the adorable characters

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

"Speak" - Speaking

_**Speak**_ - Thoughts

Speak – Actions

Flashback

"_When I first came here, I sat down to look at the clouds, and the first thing I saw in the cloud formations was a snake, than all of the sudden your name popped into my head." Shinku put her head between her knees; she really didn't want to see Kaidoh's face. _

_When she chose to lift her head back up, she saw Kaidoh, gently leaning towards her. She flinched in realization of what he was about to do. So instead of turning her head, Kaidoh fell beside her ear, onto her temple. His lips fell in the wrong spot, but neither person moved. The world seemed to freeze in place for both kids, until the chatter of moving adults behind them awoke their stature. Shinku repositioned her head to look at Kaidoh. Kaidoh was the first to speak._

"_Fsshhh, home right?"_

"_Right." Both stood up, Shinku taking Kaidoh's hand for the short journey to the bus station._

_**New and improved spacer.**_

"OIMAIGAWD!" Shinku suddenly blurted out in the middle of the after school tennis practice. The tennis ball that was recently flying for the Tanaka twins was then served back on Shinku's side of the court, right at her ankle. After the random exclamation Shinku fell over in pain, nearly uttering a curse word.

"Shinku, are there any problems going on at home?" Youhei walked up to Shinku, who was now on her back, to poke her ribs with his racquet.

"I just realized that my fight with Katsumi is on the same day you'll be battling Momo and Ryoma."

"Is anything wrong with that?" Kouhei raised a nonchalant eyebrow.

"No… Not really, but I think I'll call off the game. Kaidoh's coming to watch, so I guess I'll just go out on another date with him." Wakato's head turned towards the trio.

"Wait. _YOU'RE_ playing Katsumi in a game of tennis?!" He was on the verge of hysterical laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"Katsumi's going to whip the white right out of your hair! She's amazing. Not only does she have undeniable beauty for a young lady, but she has a wicked tennis theme. You don't stand a chance, despite your strengths."

"You don't know a thing about me Wakato! What's her 'power' anyway?"

"Mostly speed, quicker than light I guess you could say. She also manipulates her opponent, that's the main thing you should watch out for. In fact, she reminds me of you, just louder. If you stay in the neutral zone, you won't be fazed by her."

"I can take her," her tone was slightly cocky. The Regulars sighed in amusement; this was going to be one interesting game.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

When the game day rolled around, Shinku was more than anxious. In fact, she was shaky to the point of tears. Reality hit her like a brick. If she really did lose to Katsumi, then she would be ridiculed by the girl for the rest of the school year. But if she won, then Katsumi would throw a fake fit, cry, and then Youhei would never speak to her again. Either way she would lose.

"Shinku if you keep tapping your foot like that, your shoe is going to make an indention in the concrete," Kouhei scolded the girl from a nearby wall. The anxious teen huffed impatiently.

"What has you so jumpy about this game anyway?"

"The stakes/consequences."

"This is not a soap opera Shinku."

"Whatever." Shinku threw her head towards the entrance gate for the arrival of the evil-pink-pop star-wannabe. Apparently Katsumi didn't challenge people to games often, considering almost half of the student body was out waiting for the game to start. Even Youhei and Kouhei called off their game.

After twenty minutes, Kaidoh and some of the other Seigaku Regulars arrived, Shinku had paced around the field about four times, and Hanamura (who was stepping in as a ref) had begun to doodle all over her lined paper. Finally…

"Sorry I'm late! Had to do my hair." Katsumi came bouncing into the tennis arena, pink hair flying, her skimpy tennis outfit putting several boys on their knees. Shinku sniffed in disgust. Even she had more dignity than that.

"Whatever, are you ready yet? Or do you have to rearrange your personalities?" Her insult didn't comply with Katsumi's slow brain waves.

"Let's just start this game."

_**New and improved spacer.**_

"Alright, in the game of Katsumi v. Shinku, Katsumi will serve first!" A huge cluster of boys and girls began cheering wildly. Katsumi flipped her hair in vain to all of the attention. Shinku puffed a lock of white hair out of her face.

Katsumi threw the ball into the air, and then struck a pose as if she were magically changing into a butterfly or fantasy character. Before her heel even touched the ground, the ball was already heading for Shinku. Boy, she really did have incredible speed. Luckily Shinku had learned a lot from the past Jyousei Regulars.

Ponk

Shinku threw the attack back with a bit too much ease, that fact slowed her thinking down a little bit. **_She's going easy on me… Why?_** Katsumi served back with just as much speed and force as the first, and Shinku did the same. The pattern continued until one vague statement re-entered Shinku's mind.

"Manipulation," she blurted out. Right as the thought appeared, Katsumi sliced the ball through the air onto Shinku's side of the court. Shinku didn't even make a movement towards the shot.

"Point to me," Katsumi batted her abnormal eyelashes. The boy's ankles started to shake. Shinku shook her head, readying for some form of plan to at least score a point.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

It was only ten minutes into the game, and Katsumi was already leading three games. If Shinku didn't pick up the pace soon, she's lose without a fight.

The leader positioned herself for another serve. Again when the ball was returned Katsumi's movements looked like ballet dancing. Was she mocking her opponent?! The pink maiden spun around and slapped the ball with such grace, yet with so much power. Showoff.

"Game to Katsumi!" The ref decided to take a break, considering how long the games lasted, and the condition of the two females; mostly Shinku who looked like she was going to beat up a crocodile. Fuji advised the Jyousei gang not to come near the girl, which brought a bemused expression across their faces. Fuji pointed at Shinku.

She was staring down at her water, her tennis racquet shaking violently in her bruised hand. Her teeth began to grind loudly, nostrils flaring dangerously. One loud curse was hidden under Shinku's breath as she threw her water bottle against the gate. Over with the mixed Regulars the boys were shaking unsteadily. Even Kajimoto broke his neutral stage by involuntarily twitching his eye, multitasking by stepping back a couple of paces.

"Is she always this way?" Kouhei's eyes widened.

"Yes," groaned the Seigaku boys. Oh how the know her too well. They looked back at Shinku to see her clutching her head with one hand and squeezing the rubber of her racquet with the other. Her breathing started quickening as her anger rose, bringing a bright red onto her face. Katsumi, who was on the other side, watched her with a devilish smile. Youhei took a step forward, only to be brought back by Fuji.

"She's handling her own temper. Just watch." Shinku's breathing softened as she rubbed water over her forehead. A plan was starting to force its way into her snow white head, which caused her to smile.

_**New an improved spacer.**_

The game started off as usual, Katsumi gaining a couple of points, but this time Shinku was coming back with a vengeance. Shinku's movements were more relaxed, but somehow stronger. Her muscles were not tensed, but when the shot came for her racquet, the ball would go flying.

Ponk

Over and Over Katsumi would try to use her sick mind games against Shinku, but her weak then powerful shots only backfired with Shinku's soft movements.

Ponk

Katsumi would serve. Then Shinku would run for the ball, her arm would effortlessly come in a swinging motion, but the ball would have the strength of two.

Ponk

Shinku had won two games comparing to Katsumi's four, using the pink girl's game against her. Shinku was the master at manipulation, and she wasn't about to let some pretty little pink girl steal her title. But Shinku didn't account for a vital piece of information.

"Man you're getting slower Shinku. All your body weight must be slowing you down!" Shinku stopped in her tracks, the ball slamming straight into her ribs.

"Fuji-sempai? That's not part of one of Shinku-sempai's moves is it?"

"No, it isn't."

_**New and improver spacer.**_

Author's Note:

I hate this chapter.

Dfkjglkgjhdkjsl!

Oh well, Second half of Shinku's tennis battle comes up next!

Review-w-w-w-s please. (Love Mooney)


	18. SlapFight cont

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, nor will I even own any of the adorable characters

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

"Speak" - Speaking

_**Speak**_ - Thoughts

Speak – Actions

Flashback

"_Man you're getting slower Shinku. All your body weight must be slowing you down!" Shinku stopped in her tracks, the ball slamming straight into her ribs. _

"_Fuji-sempai? That's not part of one of Shinku-sempai's moves is it?"_

"_No, it isn't."_

_**New and improver spacer.**_

The crowed watched as Shinku fell over from the shot. Despite Katsumi's small frame, her tennis handling really hurt. Yet another mystery of Katsumi. The fallen opponent crumpled up into a painful ball for a split second, but then staggered up into an upright position to continue. She would most likely gain a bruise, but the small pink girl was not tough enough to throw any broken bones.

"It seems Katsumi loves to play dirty." Fuji frowned upon the move. Sure it was like Shinku to also say something to distract her opponent, but never an insult. Kaidoh could be heard inhaling and exhaling loudly.

"She plays an unfair game, that's why she's the head of girl's tennis and of her own little clique," Wakato blinked. Even he did not look happy. Then he sighed. "This is going to be a _long_ game."

Shinku was back in her rhythm, hopping back and forth, twisting her opponent. Now Katsumi was stuck in Shinku's own little brain game, and she was greatly losing. Shinku was quite happy with that little piece of information. She was finally leading with five games, leaving Katsumi with a measly four.

The effect of the games was shown over Shinku's face, revealing pain, frustration, and agony. Even though she was leading, Katsumi's words were catching up to her, along with several words she'd rather not repeat. The shot to her stomach was followed with multiple hits to her arms and legs. The use of total mind control-yoga relaxation-block out the world-technique just was not working for her. She had to kick it up a notch. Save the energy, and then at the last minute, build up her strength and slam the ball right against Katsumi's face.

"Shinku, it's your serve!" Shinku readied for her last chance to beat Katsumi to a bloody pulp.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

The game was like a book without a climax, it was expected from the beginning. Shinku beat the little pink tennis girl by a single win. A single lucky win. Everyone knew Shinku would win; Katsumi was too cocky and too small to stand up against the newly toned teenager. Shinku had skill and spirit, while Katsumi played with pride and vanity, swimming in her own self indulgent ego. Besides, Shinku was stronger, and knew how to control her whiny, girlish nature.

But the words of Katsumi were burned against the field.

"_**Your body weight must be slowing you down!"**_

"_**Fat cow! Lose already!"**_

"_**Stop moving your ugly face!"**_

"_**Your tennis is worse than your clothing!"**_

All infantile and ignorant insults, but they stung a girl's soul like burning needles. Shinku glared down the girl with her melted eyes, bringing the panting girl to her knees. Even Katsumi, a snotty little girl with great tennis strength, was worn out by the battle. Shinku stood over her, nearly spitting on her in revenge. Instead she bent down and whispered:

"Screw you ugly. You lost both in tennis and at life. Find some talent and a better attitude." Her biting leer hid a bit of envy for her power, but countered with an insult that caused Katsumi to well up in tears. The pink-headed girl sniffed childishly and spat at her opponent's shoes.

"I'm telling Youhei."

_**New and improved spacer.**_

The Regulars were stuck on Shinku's plays. Luckily someone brought a camera for investigation.

Ever since Shinku threw a fit and suddenly put on a neutral face, her tennis stature became so different yet absolutely the same.

"She was so calm, how could she swing like that and have a shot like _that_?" Someone pointed towards the replayed film.

"It looks so easy."

"Those two girls are the master in subliminal plays. So interesting."

"I think _I_ can shed some light on this." Inui popped up from behind, notebook outstretched from his fingers to continue taking notes. "Replay it again."

The muted movie was rewound and replayed.

"Now stop." The film paused at Shinku's arm and the tennis ball meeting for a serve.

"Remember how her arm was so relaxed? Look, her arm is tensed up for a regular shot. Continue." It showed Shinku finishing the swing. "Stop. See how her arm muscles are suddenly calm? This means she is only using spurts of energy when she swings."

"Looks like more than just _spurts_," one teenager muttered as the ball slammed onto the gate with immense force.

"No wonder they were so out of breath. The use of this technique on their bodies can end quite painfully."

"What on Earth are you guys doing?" Shinku came from behind the Regulars, who were sitting lazily on the field.

"The game is over, go home!" Obviously the girl was ticked, thanks to Katsumi tattling to her boyfriend. Youhei would not give up the girl, but he was disappointed in both females for settling their hatred for each other through a hard game of tennis. Boy, was Youhei blind. But the chipper Regulars jumped up and ruffled Shinku's white hair.

"How can you be mad when you won?" Shinku glared. Kouhei covered up the awkward moment with a knowing cough. Eiji placed his hands on his hips, holding back the urge to stick his tongue out at Katsumi.

"How can she be the leader of the girl's tennis department? Yuzani-san could easily beat her up."

"Mada Mada Dane-" Someone covered Ryoma's mouth just in time, saving Shinku another beating victim.

"I'm going to go talk to him." Shinku spun around on her heel towards the bickering couple. Kaidoh followed closely.

Katsumi pushed past her boyfriend towards her opponent.

The sight looked like two bulls coming in for the final showdown.

_**New and improved spacer.**_

Author's Note:

BOOOORRRINNNG. Because the really wasn't much of a point to it.

Writer's Block does that to you. Oh well. Maybe the next will be better.

(Oh man, I kept switching Kouhei and Youhei's name around, and I probably mispelled Katsumi's name like... twenty times.)

I be very dumb-b-b-b. But that's why you keep reading. Wait... What?

Reviews are a girl's best friend. (Wink Wink.)

Mooney, over and out!


	19. Author's Note

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, nor will I even own any of the adorable characters

Author's Note:

Well school is coming up, so I am going to have to put this baby up on Hiatus for a while, again. This break might be longer, considering major writer's block, school work, and whatever life throws at me, so sorry for the Hiatus. I will attempt to update as soon as I can.

Love, Mooney.


	20. Things My Brother Says

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, nor will I even own any of the adorable characters

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

"Speak" - Speaking

_**Speak**_ - Thoughts

Speak – Actions

Flashback

_"How can you be mad when you won?" Shinku glared. Kouhei covered up the awkward moment with a knowing cough. Eiji placed his hands on his hips, holding back the urge to stick his tongue out at Katsumi._

_"How can she be the leader of the girl's tennis department? Yuzani-san could easily beat her up."_

_"Mada Mada Dane-" Someone covered Ryoma's mouth just in time, saving Shinku another beating victim._

_"I'm going to go talk to him." Shinku spun around on her heel towards the bickering couple. Kaidoh followed closely._

_Katsumi pushed past her boyfriend towards her opponent._

_The sight looked like two bulls coming in for the final showdown._

**_..._**

Shinku and Kouhei lay on an open field of grass, the sun waiting to set for the night. Both had their heads resting on the other's shoulder, their bodies pointed away in opposite directions. Kouhei's blue tresses draped over his friend's neck, they tickled slightly when he sighed.

Kouhei had become increasingly physical and dependent on Shinku due to the strained relationship with his brother. Shinku made it perfectly obvious that she did not enjoy his hanging on, his uncharacteristic clinging, his frustrated attitude. His constant touching greatly confused her; sure she had obvious feelings for Segaku's own Viper, yet with the amount of time she was spending with the Tanaka twins she couldn't help but feel pulled in two opposite directions.

Initially she just thought her relationship with the twins was platonic, she was not special enough to call herself an inducted third sibling, but Kouhei's lingering touch or eye contact left her questioning him. She sat up, flipping the sapphire haired boy off her shoulder. In the deepening sunset she stared at him. Her yellow eyes were stoic, his piercing blue eyes turned silver against the light.

"Why is your brother with her?" She had heard his reasoning thousands of times before, but she still didn't believe him. Her voice was stern, probing for the truth. She could tell that Kouhei had broken down enough to tell her.

"She's strong." He pulled a piece of grass out of his hair.

"She's a brat."

"True, but that doesn't change the fact that she is one of the strongest tennis players in on the team."

"What does her strength have to do with anything?"

Kouhei stayed quiet for a beat, his expression changed for a moment before he spoke.

"What happened with you and Kaidoh on your trip?" She noted his word choice; it was so odd, as if he were repulsed by the work "date." His brows furrowed. Shinku brushed the hair away from her forehead, brushing out a couple blades of grass.

"He kissed me." Kouhei drew his breath in sharply. "What?" Shinku was slightly offeneded by his reaction.

"We know." Kouhei turned his head toward a nearby tree. Shinku's face burned under the dipping sunlight.

"Then why did you ask?!" She shoved his shoulder in fury. Kouhei just kept his eye on the tree, Shinku had yet to notice that he was staring at the pond where Kaidoh had placed his pursed snake lips on Shinku's temple. Shinku paused before realizing, "Were you two spying on me?!" Surely they would not sink as low as Segaku. Kouhei shushed her rudely; her voice was unbearably loud.

"Katsumi is the strongest girl on the team," he repeated again. He chose to reword it however, "She's the most skilled, but you would be the strongest girl if you joined."

"I still don't see how strength has anything to do with this."

"He liked you, idiot!"

Shinku sat stunned. Kouhei further exclaimed,

"He's trying to replace you with her, stupid." Kouhei plopped down to the grass on his side with a thud. He mumbled, "He knows the snake guy likes you so he started dating her to get over it. I told you he just picks one and that's that." He closed his silvered eyes and sighed once more. Shinku, still however, was speechless. After a stutter she asked,

"Why?" Kouhei turned at her and lowered his eyelids in annoyance. She huffed.

"I mean, why does he like me? I've done nothing to give him any reason to."

"Well when you spend all of your time with one set of people, you're likely to graduate to something deeper than just familiarity. Besides, you're the only girl who really hangs around us, beside Wakato and his harem of course." Shinku grinned half-heartedly.

"So what do I do about it then?" Kouhei rolled so he was on his stomach and his eyes facing Shinku.

"Something not stupid," he stated bluntly. Shinku kicked his side lightly, he grunted with a playful arch in his brows. Soon after though, his glowing eyes saddened.

"He misses your friendship, he doesn't feel accepted by you anymore."

"Why?" Kouhei's eyebrows pinned down in frustration at the multitude of her 'whys.'

"You were originally Segaku's, and now that you regularly see them he thinks he can't compete with them." Shinku cried out in defeat; she was appalled by Youhei's childish thought process. First of all, she belonged to no one; she was her own person. Second, she still valued her friendship with the twins, and still cared for them even though Youhei's girlfriend was in fact the devil in a skirt.

"Just because I spent the summer in a cabin with Segaku doesn't mean they're the only people I'm friends with, I'm glad I met you guys. And I still care for you despite all of these happenings."

"Then prove it." Shinku blinked before cocking her head to the side. Kouhei closed his eyes with the last rays of the sun passing over his shoes.

"Prove you still care for him, even if he dates Katsumi."

**...**

Author's note:

Hey this is the new author here to continue the story.

I'm a friend of Mooney so yeah, coolness! Tell me what you think!

This was a little chapter to dived in the Tanaka twins' minds prior to the tennis match.


	21. I'm Sorry

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, nor will I even own any of the adorable characters

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

"Speak" - Speaking

_**Speak**_ - Thoughts

Speak – Actions

_**Flashback**_

_"Just because I spent the summer in a cabin with Segaku doesn't mean they're the only people I'm friends with, I'm glad I met you guys. And I still care for you despite all of these happenings."_

_"Then prove it." Shinku blinked before cocking her head to the side. Kouhei closed his eyes with the last rays of the sun passing over his shoes._

_"Prove you still care for him, even if he dates Katsumi."_

**...**

The sight of Katsumi and Shinku charging at each other was quite a terrifying sight. Many of the Regulars—and onlookers—shrunk back at their thundering footsteps. Katsumi's hair swirled like pink wildfire behind her, her perfect features wrinkling in an ugly scowl. She raised her tennis racquet ever so slightly at the other raging bull. What Shinku did however took Katsumi by surprise.

Shinku rushed past the head of the girl's tennis team before coming to a complete stop in front of Youhei. He looked down at her, bemused at their closeness. Kaidoh's looming shadow overtook both of them, a tension woven between all three teenagers. His face grimaced and a deep guttural hiss began to rise in his throat. If Shinku didn't chew off Youhei's head, he most certainly would.

But Shinku instead took Youhei's neck in her arms, and awkwardly pushed the two of them together in a very uncomfortable hug. In a rare moment of sentimental emotion she let a small tear pool around her eye before in soaked back in. Youhei held his hands out away from her, but lightly put the tip of his fingers on her shoulder blades. He glanced up at Kaidoh, who stood stone-faced and still, but had a morose color to his eyes. Embarrassed he took his hands off of her and flinched whenever she spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Shinku turned and picked up the rest of her tennis items and left the entire audience in silence.

**...**

Kaidoh's eyes opened dangerously at the boy in front of him, his hissing had grown rigid, and his body arched. Youhei stifled a gulp and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Katsumi. She pushed past Viper and pounded on his chest with tiny, clenched claws.

"Youhei how could you?! How could you," she snarled dramatically. Youhei calmly took her soft hands and lightly detached himself from her. He furrowed his brow in quiet anger and jeered at her curtly.

"Goodbye," he did not bother to include her name or any declaration other than that. He instead picked up his items and left after Shinku. Her face fell, along with the rest of her body to the tennis court ground, she muttered before crying out in a childish tantrum.

And in classic Segaku fashion, the rest of the team followed behind—including Kouhei—after the two. Kaidoh led with a brisk job to the fleeting teenagers. If conditions had permitted, the scene would have been quite humorous, but the looming emotional tsunami whirled above them.

**...**

Youhei easily caught up with her and spun her around; but she refused to look him in the eye. He stood mute until she finally turned and met his stare, her face stern against the harsh afternoon sun. He readjusted his tennis bag before speaking.

"You're sorry for what?" Shinku opened her eyes and bit back a shrill yell, grunting in an infantile manner. What did he mean what was she sorry for? How dare he question her uncharacteristic apology.

"What do you mean what am I sorry for?!" Youhei stood patiently.

"You held your temper. And you hugged me." Shinku exhaled loudly.

"I don't need to expla-"

"It was a terrible hug too, by the way-" Youhei couldn't help but push her already fuming buttons. Shinku squealed angrily.

"I hug you and apologize and you question it?"

"Yes, because you neither hug nor apologize."

She paused, glancing up at his puzzled, but contented face. A weight seemed to be lifted off his back, and he was much more at peace with the situation. His face seemed younger and fresh. If she weren't so angry she would have smiled at him. He flashed a quick grin before turning to their spectators. They did not move from their spots but looked up in opposite directions from the scene. They whistled nonchalantly. He turned back to the snowy-haired girl who fought back a pink face.

"You're still my friend," she finally said with an underlying monotone. She looked down but flinched when she felt his hand on her head. The gesture was all too familiar and before she could take in the situation she heard a faint hissing from Kaidoh. His eyes glowered at the two, and Momo took initiative to hold him back before he moved. Youhei didn't understand the severity of what he was doing and continued to pat her head.

"Good," he said simply, not even a thank you. Shinku's eyes squinted in irritation and she lightly punched his forearm. She dug her toe into the concrete and looked up at Youhei and the peanut gallery behind them. Before she could say anything, Eiji initiated a group hug, swooping Youhei and herself off the ground, the rest of the Regulars—minus Kaidoh—following dutifully. The glorious display of affection was ruined by Shinku's groaning stomach. She laughed nervously, and without an exchange of words they all made way for the nearest burger joint, Kaidoh's venomous gaze penetrating her back before he reluctantly followed.

**...**

Shinku would wait until she reached home, without the prying eyes of all of the other Regulars. It was something she desperately needed to expel from her mind; she simply had to talk to him. Nervously she set down her bag and shuffled over to the phone. She hesitantly dialed a few numbers before finally hitting "call." She waited, but was promptly greeted after three rings.

"Hello," came Inui's reply.

**...**

Author's Note:

Whoa now, what's going on here?

Until next time on

"This story has too many cliffhangers after every chapter."

Rate and review please, goodnight/day!


	22. A Date with The Devil

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

Flashback

_Shinku would wait until she reached home, without the prying eyes of all of the other Regulars. It was something she desperately needed to expel from her mind; she simply had to talk to him. Nervously she set down her bag and shuffled over to the phone. She hesitantly dialed a few numbers before finally hitting "call." She waited, but was promptly greeted after three rings._

_"Hello," came Inui's reply._

**…**

Inui was honestly taken off guard by the sound of Shinku's voice. She was asking, albeit gauche in her presentation, for him to train her. Inui did not have detailed notes on Shinku, so he was quite intrigued by the experiment, at least that's what emotion he seemed to exude. He after all had a limited pallete of expression. All he had were measurements, weight—surprisingly—and her interactions with Kaidoh. He agreed formally, and told her to meet him at the courts every weekend for training, and if she could help it, after training with Josei as well.

**…**

The more time he spent studying her he noted her exceptional balance and acrobatics. She was nowhere near as talented or quick as Eiji, but when she would jump she made purpose of it. It was dance inspired, evident she confessed was due to past ballet experience. Her tennis was miles from where she was at the cabin, she had shaken off the dust that had gathered from her hiatus, and her true form presented itself to Inui. She seemed to have found herself, not relying on previous strength or skill. She was a different person after battling Katsumi as well, she showed to be more determined, calmer, and focused on the task at hand.

Inui questioned why she suddenly wanted his training expertise. Shinku confessed that she wanted to improve herself, she felt behind all the other Regulars. Being in the presence of Kaidoh's animalistic strength, the twins' raw talent, and for the love of tennis, the one and only prodigy Ryoma, she felt stifled. Her goal was to be the best tennis player of all time, throwing out all gender separation. She wanted to beat someone like Katsumi as well as beat Ryoma. Sure she may have gotten lucky against Katsumi, but she would lose to someone like Ryoma before she could even swing. She blamed her childish temper, her underdeveloped tennis skills, and worst of all, her hubris.

So she enlisted Inui to help her. He after all, had hand in training and bringing the Regulars farther than anyone expected. She was just thankful that he agreed to train her. She hadn't received any "formal training" since her childhood.

He gave her a strict set of guidelines to get better, a workout plan that almost mirrored Kaidoh's, though far less rigorous—for the time being at least.

Inui peered at her through his thick glasses, clearing his throat before he uttered his next words.

"I do think it may be beneficial for you to…" he grasped for words that would not anger her, "gain more muscle, and become…lighter, to aid in your technique. More dance practice would do as well." Shinku's hair burned at the implication of her weight, but as her fuming subsided she agreed. She thanked him generously and turned to leave, but not before she turned to Inui and said,

"I want to play against someone who won't hold back." Inui jotted down in his notebook and replied,

"I've got someone in mind."

**…**

Shinku was not taken off guard when he spoke his name; she was taken off guard when she heard where they were located.

"Akaya Kirihara of Rikkai Dai in the Kanagawa Prefecture."

"Kanagawa?"

"You are familiar?"

Shinku blinked fervently, "I lived there."

**…**

Youhei and Kouhei walked parallel to one another, their hands stuck in their pockets and their eye levels straight ahead. Their equilibrium had been restored since Youhei returned to his brother's side and the single's scene. Youhei and Shinku's relationship remained platonic, and Kouhei's latching had altogether fizzled. Things overall were running pretty smooth, but with all good things there were troublesome things to accompany them. Shinku huffed at the twins behind her.

"Oi, brother what do you supposed is eating at Shinku now?"

"Well I sure hope it's not the snake boy, we might have to inform Kajimoto-sempai. He'll have to come all the way from his high school to lecture Yuzani." Shinku's face lit up like a thousand stoplights.

"Brother, how do you think Seigaku will react of their little Yuzani? She's all mature now."

"And muscular. She's not cute anymore."

"Do you suppose she's doing it for the snake boy? He might like strong girls."

"Well tell us Shinku, are you trying to impress the snake boy?" Shinku could hold her suppressed temper no longer; she whipped out her tennis racquet from her bag and swung it to hit them both across the cheek. Unfortunately for the girl, the brothers' senses climbed back up to perfect harmony and they had plucked her racquet from her hands before she swung. They both pushed their forearms on her shoulders forcing her to sit on a nearby bench. They bore into the side of Shinku's face with their eyes. She was forced to keep her gaze out in front of her to avoid the twin's penetrating—although faintly bored—teal glare.

"Shinku, tell us," Youhei poked her face with the tennis racquet, stressing each letter in a song-song sort of voice. The Tanaka boys were far from finished annoying her into explanation though, they leaned into the girl so both of the breath from their noses ticked her cheeks. Shinku's face paled and she groaned in exasperation.

"I'm meeting Seigaku at the diner after school today!" They were disappointed; there was nothing new about her antics at the diner. Kaidoh had stopped attending with the rest of the team after the first couple of meetings, their budding romance withering along with their friendship. Meeting Seigaku was now just a recreational happening, which was terribly stale for the twins. They leaned back together and sighed.

"That can't be what you're hiding from us." The brothers exchanged a playful glance behind their friend's back before Youhei took the initiative to speak.

"Oi, we're going to have to replace you with someone more interesting if you're not going to give us something better than that, Shinku." He flicked her racquet, tapping her arm repetitively. Shinku's left eyebrow twitched.

"Face it brother, Shinku is just boring now." Kouhei yawned loudly. Shinku grunted, a vein forming in her forehead, keeping her temper was becoming progressively more difficult with the twins' increased familiarity with her.

"If you must know, I'm going to my hometown next break and I wanted to inform Seigaku," she answered tamely. Kouhei snorted.

"Really Yuzani, I would have been more impressed if you just admitted that you love Wakato." Shinku jumped from her seat and held a clenched white fist to Kouhei's face.

"I lived in the Kanagawa Prefecture! And I'm playing against Akaya Kirihara of Rikkai Dai!" The brothers smiled victoriously.

"Now was that really so difficult Shinku?" They rose to their feet together and gave their friend a curt pat on the head. Shinku resented how they somehow shot up another half inch in height. They walked away from her, but lingered slow enough for her to follow to tennis practice. Shinku regrettably obeyed, pondering if telling Seigaku would as much of a teeth pull as it had been with Youhei and Kouhei.

**…**

She stood before the Seigaku—both Regular and graduated—and tugged at her skirt hem. Admitting her plans to the twins had actually made it a bit easier to face the Seishun crew.

"I'm going on a day trip to my hometown next break," she started hesitantly. No one seemed affected by it until she confessed where she was going.

"It's in the Kanagawa Prefecture." All of Segaku cried out in unison as expected—excluding Inui of course. However, Shinku was not finished with her confession.

"I'm going to see an old friend from Rikkai Dai." Her friends completely dropped to the ground. Not only was she from the city that Rikkai Dai resided in, but also she was familiar with one of the strongest tennis teams to ever compete. Worse, she was a friend to at least one of them. She was not surprised whenever Momo recovered and stood in a triumphant pose.

"We'll join you then!" Shinku merely sighed, she knew better than to protest.

**…**

Author's Note:

We're not going to be seeing the wonderful Tanaka twins for a while, so I thought I might highlight them more in this chapter.

Up next, Shinku's tennis match against Akaya!


	23. Yuzani-Kun

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

Flashback

_"I'm going on a day trip to my hometown next break," she started hesitantly. No one seemed affected by it until she confessed where she was going._

_"It's in the Kanagawa Prefecture." All of Segaku cried out in unison as expected—excluding Inui of course. However, Shinku was not finished with her confession._

_"I'm going to see an old friend from Rikkai Dai." Her friends completely dropped to the ground. Not only was she from the city that Rikkai Dai resided in, but also she was familiar with one of the strongest tennis teams to ever compete. Worse, she was a friend to at least one of them. She was not surprised whenever Momo recovered and stood in a triumphant pose._

_"We'll join you then!" Shinku merely sighed, she knew better than to protest._

…

By Inui's demands, she deliberately wore a loose fitting athletic shirt and tennis shorts. She taped down her chest so that any evidence of femininity was erased from view. She was also instructed to wear a cap, much to her disdain, but complied nonetheless. Just for the occasion she cut her hair much shorter, a sort of pixie style that barely met her jawline. It made her features severe and masculine.

Shinku had grown noticeably muscular with her training; quite honestly she looked eerily like a boy even before she taped down her chest. It was unattractive truthfully; her outward girlish charm had nearly disappeared. She had lost a bit a weight and replaced it with sinewy muscle. Her face seemed older, her eyes thinning into a mature serious angle; contrasting with the girlish yellow orbs she had presented herself with. Her school uniform however strained to contain her newly rounded shoulders and back, fitting the sleeves awkwardly, and her skirt strained to close around her bulky abdomen. But she was a better tennis player, stronger than she had ever been before, which was all she could ask.

She checked her stance and stood tall, trying to exude manly testosterone. Her voice was already deceptively deep for a girl's, so she made no effort to change it. Inui instructed the other Regulars to address her only by her last name, adding "–kun" if desired. As well he instructed the Regulars that no matter what happened during the match, they were not to intervene. His insistence worried them, what were the both of them planning, was whatever they were up to that serious?

At any rate they muttered together what the duo might be conjuring, studying their new "Regular." Inui informed Rikkai Dai that they had recently inducted a new member, though he was pompously arrogant even beyond Atobe's standards, and claimed to have the ability to crush the Three Monsters, which faintly amused the trio. Inui inquired for a match between their new Regular, "Yuzani-kun" and Kirihara to teach him humility; he subtly implied to the now "Third Year Ace" that they were not opposed to him inflicting a bit of Bloodshot Mode on their troublesome player.

Kirihara scanned the mentioned Regular. He was a bit on the short side, but still taller than Ryoma. His face was angular, with a tinge of annoyance across his eyes. His eyes shone a muddy gold, and were accented with abnormally long lashes. His shoulders were hunched much like the snake imposter, and he clicked his tongue playfully at Kirihara, teasing the Ace. Under the boy's breath the Devil could hear him utter,

"Third Year Ace? More like Third Year Dobe."

Kirihara's seaweed hair rattled, and he could feel the blood start to boil in his body. The rest of his team looked amused at the tension between their Ace and Seigaku's fresh Regular. Kirihara flicked his racquet and commanded,

"On the line, kid."

…

The Regulars twitched, unsure how the match would play out. Akaya had vowed not to use his old tricks hadn't he? Unfortunately for them they failed to hear Inui give the okay for him to inflict unlimited pain on Shinku, for valid reason though. Kaidoh, however, knew Inui too well, and picked up on his intentions, and shockingly was unaffected by Shinku's experiment.

Who could blame him though, Shinku's erratic behavior had pushed him away. Not to mention her little scene with Youhei had taken a toll on his pride. It was best just to ignore his feelings, focus on his tennis captain duties, and show indifference for the cotton haired girl. It was beneficial too, his tennis had improved and he proved to be a fantastic captain for the Regulars, though he couldn't entirely say he was happy. Then again, was he ever happy? He hissed casually, earning a jump from Eiji in front of him, putting a flush across his face. His attention snapped to Shinku and Akaya, the match had started.

…

_Ponk_

Kirihara was pissed, to say the least. He had not anticipated for the Seishun to be able to keep a rally with him, much less score a point on him. The moment he heard 15-Love his face a body burned. Shinku had to confess that she was astonished too; she didn't think the first point would be scored in her favor. She could feel the anger in his swing after that, she had to strain her right arm to return his serves. But she was not going to settle for merely pissed. When Kirihara let his guard down, she pivoted her foot caused her return to be curved as she twirled—in the manliest way she could muster—and bypassed Kirihara gaining another point.

"30-Love!" She smirked when Kirihara exhaled crossly. She took the initiative to really set him off.

"For Rikkai's Devil, you sure are soft." The Regular's heads on both sides leaded back. When did Shinku learn how to trash talk? Kirihara sneered, and brutishly pointed his racquet at her and retorted,

"Big talk coming from someone so small, I'll break those little arms in no time. Just you wait." No one denied Kirihara had the ability to break bones; a bead of sweat simultaneously ran down their temples. He coolly set his racquet on his flexed shoulder and cackled, "Seigaku must've let you in as a joke. Your form is mediocre and you barely have the upper body strength of a girl." Shinku thanked the stars he couldn't see her surprised expression under her cap. When she recovered she lifted the hat to fully glare at him. Her shadowed yellow eyes dug into his face, but Akaya was unfazed. In fact, his smirk deepened, and he waited for her serve.

Now Kirihara was fuming, Shinku had won the first set, and he would be damned if he let her win the second set. He could feel heat rushing for his eyes, his Bloodshot Mode rising to the surface. Shinku let a small shiver run up her spine at his ferocity.

His shots were harder, nastier, and deliberately aimed at Shinku's limbs. Luckily for Shinku she could sidestep his shots, though it cost her the second set. The Devil smiled wickedly, the blood smoldering in the hollow of his eye sockets. Shinku scurried over to grab a sip of water, with Inui waiting behind the fence with his notebook partially shielding his mouth.

"Don't dodge his attacks, remember your training." Shinku did, and she shuddered.

…

"_Kirihara's special ability is that he personally attacks his opponents, he will not hesitate to physically hurt you. Now are you sure you want to do this?" Inui crinkled his brow uncomfortably._

"_Are you sure that you want to do this?" She stressed. Inui bowed his head and stepped over to the baseline. A flick of his wrist and turn of his foot resulted in a powerful serve aimed at Shinku's leg. She purposefully did not move and let the ball smash into her quad, but promptly fell with a yelp. Inui had another ball ready, but lowered his arms. He did not enjoy at all what he was doing, injuring a girl like that. It hurt him even more to respond metallically,_

"_You need to get up. The entire match may be like that, and he doesn't get any softer. He'll only get angrier." Shinku obliged and dug into her stance, but she could still feel the pulsing in her quadriceps. Inui hit another shot, hitting her stomach. Shinku could tell he was holding back, for she only had the wind knocked out of her instead of falling flat on her back. Next he aimed for her arm, the next her knee. He aimed at every other point on her body except for her head; he could not bear to risk knocking her unconscious. When fresh bruises started to color her paper white skin, she asked,_

"_Now how am I going to return his attacks?" _

"_You will use your dancing skills, are you able to spin?" She did a simple spin to verify._

"_Do you know how to perform an arabesque pench__é__e?" She nodded, though she was still unsure what he wanted her to do with the arabesque stance. She bent down so that she made a straight line with her legs and her nose tucked into her knee._

"_Can you go from standing to an arabesque and spin?" With a simple whip of her leg she was able to turn her pench__é__e, though it was unnatural and wobbly. She executed the move once more, beginning to comprehend what Inui was hinting at. She picked up her tennis racquet and spun with it extended from her body. It would protect her legs if implemented properly. The ball would make contact with the racquet, and with enough speed she would be able to use the ball's momentum during the spin and return it without getting struck. Her ballet form was heavily compromised, but remained intact enough to execute her tennis._

"_What about a torso shot?" _

"_A fouett__é en tourant, if you do it fast enough you can grip the ball to your racquet and return it when you extend your arms.__" She did as she want told, feeling the movement with the racquet. She felt lopsided though; Inui fixed it by making her wear a small wrist weight on her non-dominant hand. She eyed Inui suspiciously. _

"_Inui-sempai, how do you know so much about dance?" Inui tilted his head away from her and fumbled with his glasses._

"_Research."_

"_You didn't spy on any classes did you? Watch any of the older women who fill out their tutus?" Shinku smiled slyly. Inui snapped and ordered her back on the baseline to continue training, obviously flustered. Shinku just laughed. _

...

The rally continued between the Ace and Yuzani, earning a fifteen-fifteen score, both showing small bullets of sweat on their foreheads. Keeping a rally with Yuzani showed to be more trouble than the seaweed head thought. He would through all of his body and strength into his shots, and the boy would simply return the shots using momentum. He didn't even seem to use any strength until he would flex his arm to gain a point. The blood rushed to his eyes, and his hair seemed to catch a green fire. His next shot he aimed murderously at Yuzani's ankle.

But instead of side stepping, Shinku whipped her aimed leg and returned the shot in a swift dip and whirl. Her action caught Kirihara off-guard; he froze and allowed the ball to bypass his head and land with an explicit 'ponk' behind him.

"Oi! Way to go Yuzani-kun!" Eiji hopped up and down, hugging the nearest people, namely Sakuno and Kaidoh. Sakuno blushed meekly—earning an uncharacteristic glance from Ryoma—Kaidoh just brushed him off disgustedly.

The rest of Rikkai Dai audibly gasped at the play. Yukimura whispered something to Sanada, but Sanada stood with his jaw slacked. There was something familiar about the boy from Seigaku—something about his form—but he discarded the notion and glanced at the Regulars. They all had some sort of reaction, expect for Inui, who calmly jotted down data. It puzzled him. Yukimura turned to Renji and inquired his thoughts on Yuzani. Renji skewed his head, and answered.

"Kirihara will instigate that shot again, but this time he will return it to his torso before he can react." He paused and lifted his shut eyes so that the sun warmed his lids.

"Yuzani is more of a threat than Kirihara realizes."

...

As predicted, Kirihara aimed another shot at her ankle, which Shinku dutifully returned, but Kirihara sent a bullet speed shot towards her rising torso. Shinku, still in mid spin, saw a blur of the shot at her chest, and promptly transferred into a fouetté en tourant. The consecutive attack knocked her off balance, so when she sent to shot straight back a Akaya—who by now was livid—she stumbled and had to plant her feet in order to keep any trace of balance. The Devil saw his chance and swung, the ball soaring straight towards her face.

Inui never taught her how to protect against a shot to the head.

...

Author's Note:

Sorry about the long chapter! I kept debating on where I was going to leave the cliffy, and I ended up settling for this.

Hope you like! R&R please!


	24. Plight of The Devil's Ballet

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

Flashback

_As predicted, Kirihara aimed another shot at her ankle, which Shinku dutifully returned, but Kirihara sent a bullet speed shot towards her rising torso. Shinku, still in mid spin, saw a blur of the shot at her chest, and promptly transferred into a fouetté en tourant. The consecutive attack knocked her off balance, so when she sent to shot straight back a Akaya—who by now was livid—she stumbled and had to plant her feet in order to keep any trace of balance. The Devil saw his chance and swung, the ball soaring straight towards her face._

_Inui never taught her how to protect against a shot to the head._

…

The tennis ball landed in the cavity under her nose and above her lips, knocking her back a decent five feet. Her hat was cast behind her, revealing her bright cotton hair. Her body lay immobile, and she could hear the voices of Seigaku.

"Yuzani-kun!" She heard Eiji.

She heard Tomoka shriek and call her surname. She heard Sakuno's timid mumbling. She heard Inui ordering her to get back up. She could hear Momo yelling at Kirihara. By then she could feel the sun hammering down on her face, blistering the blood pooling out of her gum and nose. She fluttered her eyes and lifted her spine off the ground, albeit feebly. She wiped her face with her shirt, holding her throbbing head. She heard one more thing, and it was enough to snap her eyes open.

"Yuzani," Kaidoh hissed. His hands were pressed against the gate past Eiji and Inui, his expression irate. She was unsure if he was worried, or angry. She stared at him bewildered. Between them thousands of inaudible conversations and curses collided in a thunderous spark, she understood and rose to her feet without breaking their eye contact. She kicked her cap to the side and rotated her face toward Kirihara. The blood streaming from her face warmed her lips, curling into a spiteful frown. Her eyes remained calm, though a lethal rage cultivated behind them. The Ace flinched at first, but then flashed her a shrewd smirk.

"Sorry, it was an accident Yuzani." Shinku stayed mute and stood on the line. Renji bluntly declared out of The Devil's earshot,

"Kirihara is most likely going to lose this." His teammates gawked at the Data Master.

"That's a bold claim, Renji," Yukimura snapped his head toward the third Demon. Surely The Data Master could be wrong, couldn't he? Sanada brought his stern brown eyes back to the duo and stated,

"Then he's not going to lose cleanly."

…

Shinku was able to win the third set, giving her the privilege of only having to claim one more before she automatically won the match. Her eyes glistened passionately, which sent a rush of distress through Kirihara. Not only did she catch him off-guard with her attitude, but the exposure of her face puzzled him. When she spun it struck Kirihara as odd. There was something so graceful about the boy that he was unsure what to think, and found his reactions a trifle bit slower than before.

The point loss plus his confusion infuriated him, his eyes exploding like a supernova. But he cackled lowly, taunting her. He provoked another penchée from Yuzani, then fouetté, but sprinted straight for the net, returning the ball early. He threw every ounce of his body into the shot, focusing on hitting her ribs before the racquet could retract and protect them.

As if all sound itself vanished, the ball made contact with her ribs, and she was sent spiraling backwards until she hit the back gate. An audible crack shattered their eardrums. Kaidoh and Momo started for the gate, but were held back by Inui.

Shinku lay on the ground yet again, silently gasping for air. She desperately wanted to cry, she wanted to sob and scream and yell and rip her ribcage out. But the wind had yet to enter her body again. Her face paled liked a ghost, and tears started pooling in her eyes. She didn't want to get up. She wanted to be weak. She heard a familiar voice in her head yelling at her, but it was not any of the Segaku members. It was someone different, but she couldn't quite place the voice. It was someone from a distant past. It hurt her, but it tugged at her chest, pulling her from the ground.

She wasn't quite aware that she was standing, or that she had her racquet firmly re-gripped in her hand. Her breathing was ragged, and she still wasn't entirely conscious. But she had just one more point to win, and the match was hers. Kirihara was taken back by her appearance, and the fact that she was able to rise after a shot to the torso. Sweat gushed down the side of his face, and he hesitantly held his racquet. What sort of monster was that boy?

Shinku saw the final serve, and returned it roughly, gaining cognizance. She could feel the excruciating pain in her ribs vibrating her entire body, but her pride wouldn't let her fall again. She returned another shot in a manner that forced Kirihara to unintentionally shoot too high over her head. The haze in Shinku's eyes dissolved and she saw her chance. Her eyes flashed brightly, and a small smirk coated her lips as she jumped into the air and held out her racquet, letting the shot spin her back. She twirled the ball behind her using its own force, switching hands on her grip and then threw herself into the shot, multiplying Kirihara's force with her own in a return as strong as cannon fire. Her ribs wailed in agony, but complied with her actions.

_Ponk_

It landed behind his foot and lodged itself into the gate, a black skid mark identifying where it landed. Kirihara stood dumbstruck, and dropped his racquet.

As soon as Shinku's feet touched the ground she fell and howled in pain, expelling the anguish she had so violently kept inside. She clutched her ribs and writhed on the ground. Before long a strong pair of arms scooped her up, and she fell into a realm of black.

…

Renji nodded, "As expected." Sanada cracked his knuckles in preparation to slap The Junior Ace, but Yukimura motioned to lower his hand,

"It's irrelevant now," he nodded toward Viper carrying off his teammate toward their infirmary with their bags slung across his back. Sanada slowly lowered his hand but glared sternly at the seaweed boy. He still had not moved from his spot, instead he looked at his hands in frustration. He should have won. He should have won against the arrogant Seishun. He kicked his racquet away from him before heading toward the bench.

Inui strolled on over to Yukimura and thanked him for the match. Yukimura apologized for Kirihara's volatile behavior, though Inui essentially requested it.

"I did expect there to be some form of injury, just nothing of this caliber."

"We would love to treat you to lunch if you'd like."

"Ask Yuzani once they return, but that is very generous of you." Yukimura flashed his endearing smile and nodded.

"Do you want some time to visit your teammate before Marui and Jackal practice against Eiji and Oishi?"

"No, Kaidoh has everything covered. Yuzani will be fine." Renji faced his childhood friend.

"You're hiding something, aren't you," he asked knowingly. Inui nodded and closed his notebook.

…

Kaidoh sat in the chair, waiting for Shinku to open her eyes. The blood under nose was wiped, but stained into her skin. She looked so fragile, like glass, but so harsh and burly, like an unnerving oak tree. He felt odd coming to her side like that, could they still call themselves friends? He barely recognized her masculine face, one that was so calm now and matured. She no longer looked like the girl he knew, but there was still something familiar about her.

He knew she wanted to defy gender limits in tennis, but did she really have to prove it against Akaya Kirihara? The Devil himself? He hissed a stale sigh, but hushed when she stirred.

She opened her eyes and blinked before glancing at him. Quietly, she called out his name. He did not respond, his eyes unnerving. The nurse strolled in and informed Shinku that she had suffered a broken rib, luckily only one. But a nasty bruise festered on her skin where said rib rested. She ordered Shinku to abstain from tennis for at least two months and to take pain medications to lighten the discomfort.

She respectfully nodded—though displeased—and made her way to the changing room, Kaidoh kept his eyes glued to her. After she reappeared he made motion to carry her out, but she pushed him away. He was unsure how to respond, but followed at her side, his hand forcefully clasping around her elbow.

…

As they made their way outside, the tennis players turned their attention to them. Seigaku was rather happy, but Rikkai Dai had to do a double taken before their brains could officially take in the sight they were seeing.

There stood a girl. A girl. A _girl. _It was a girl, right?She looked like the boy who had just shamed their Ace. But he seemed younger, happier, and…a girl. She had the same snowy hair, the same yellow eyes, the same pasty skin, and the same battle scars.

Yet on his/her body was not a change of short or shirt, but a dress.

A modest, simple knee-length dress for springtime, nothing special. Nonetheless it was a dress, pink and feminine, and on the boy who had just played Kirihara. Did Seigaku induct a cross-dressing, effeminate boy as their new Regular? The idea was not entirely lost on Rikkai, for they did have Yagyuu, the man of a thousands cosplays.

So, Kirihara was defeated by a girl?

Akaya could feel his entire world shatter and crumple around him. He dramatically clutched his head at what he was seeing and fell to his knees. Not only did an assumed female best him, but also he bloodied her nose and fractured her rib in the process. He groaned, mortified of his dishonorable actions. Now he rightfully earned a slap from Sanada. But Sanada was frozen in place. She was even more familiar than before, yet he still couldn't place her. Whatever thought he had quickly dissipated. Renji glanced at Inui and shook his head.

"Dammit, so that's it." Inui chuckled and turned to Shinku,

"Are you alright, Shinku?" She nodded lightly.

"Shinku-chan!" Eiji bounced toward the girl, and lightly hugged her and Kaidoh. Rikkai Dai jumped at the name. There could have been a small possibility that she was a gender-bending boy, but the Seigaku team made it evident that she was indeed not. Yukimura hastily glided towards the girl to do damage control. He lifted one of her rough, paper hands to his chest.

"I would like to formally apologize for my team's actions. We are unequivocally ashamed of our callousness and regret the injuries that you have substained." His glistening blue eyes rang so sincere that it embarrassed her, bringing a bright blush to her face. Oh, but Yukimura was not finished,

"We wish to treat you and your team to lunch, if your strength allows." Shinku was astounded by his gentility.

"That's very generous of you," she unintentionally echoed Inui. It was ambiguous, but Yukimura took it as a yes. Kirihara was still thrashing on the ground.

…

Shinku took seat, Yukimura taking place on her left side. Kirihara almost sat at her right, but bashfully hid at the end of the table where they would be in each other's blind spot. Kaidoh took his place, with Momo quick beside him. Poor Sakuno was trapped between Niou and Ryoma, a blush covering head to toe being squished in between her crush and the Gentleman—who stunned her with his manners. Ryoma played as if her were unaffected, but gave Yagyuu quick biting glares. Tomoka took no heed poking fun at Sakuno's lucky situation. She sat at Ryoma's other side with Sanada sitting next to her. He towered over her, and Eiji took initiative to point out the height difference. Next to Sanada was Inui then Renji. Marui, Fuji and Jackal sat at the bar stand where the desserts sat open, Niou transferred between them. Eiji Sat at the end of the table across from Kirihara.

Yukimura turned lightly to the girl next to him,

"So may we address you as Shinku, or do you prefer Yuzani?"

"Shinku is fine," old emotions bubbled to the surface, Kaidoh felt offended that she would allow a stranger to address her so casually.

"Yuzani-san," classic Yagyuu, "if it is no trouble, will you please inform us why you dressed as a boy?" He did not mean to immediately bring up the subject, but he was genuinely curious. Shinku unconsciously ruffled her own hair.

"Well, Kirihara-san would not play me seriously as a girl, so I dressed up as a boy to get a real match out of him." Kirihara's face was burning as he relived the entire scenario. He left his seat to join the bar group. Jackal did his best to console him.

"But why did you want to play him?" Yukimura tilted his ocean blue locks down at her. Shinku felt embarrassed by her agenda.

"I want to be better than any male or female tennis player." Niou snickered at her feminist undertones, but earned a light shove from Marui. He looked engrossed by her speech, but then again her hair looked like the top of a vanilla frosted cupcake. Yukimura grinned,

"So you wanted to see if you could beat one of our members. That's daring of you." She nodded self-consciously. No one really showed interest in her aspirations. She did not realize that her pasty face was flushing. Kaidoh rolled his eyes, earning a nudge from Momo. He murmured,

"Old habits die hard, eh Mamushi?" Kaidoh's eyes widened then thinned, dangerously hissing at Momoshiro with a line of red across his cheeks and nose.

"So why Rikkai Dai," Marui asked from the barstool. He had half of a cake on his plate, ready to be devoured.

"Since Shinku wanted to begin strong, I decided she should play against someone who would challenge her both physically and mentally," Inui explained. Kirihara was unsure if her should be mortified or flattered by the mention. Renji stirred next to him,

"She lived here." All of Seigaku's jaw slacked at his statement. He continued, "she's comfortable here, and I assume she knows at least one of us personally." The Rikkai members glanced around, which one knew her? Surely not Kirihara, he would have recognized her when her cap flew off. Yukimura made it clear he did not know her, as did Renji. The rest whipped their heads around to solve the riddle. Shinku stared at Sanada in front of her, her jaw clenching tightly. Sanada angled his head back, lifting his nose up at her.

Sanada tugged at his memory, trying to conjure her face in his childhood. He remembered Yukimura easily, but outside of tennis club he could not grab at any other human contact. He studied her features: her pasty paper skin, her gritty yellow eyes, and her short white hair. Something had bothered him during the match, and now afterwards.

He blinked with his lips partially open; his team members leaned back at his display. His brow crumpled tightly, which further startled his team. Sanada knew a girl? What sort of alternate universe were they living in? Sanada's brainwaves ignited, and connected his memories in a sparking blaze. In the depths of his blurred psyche he saw a flash of white, and oddly pink.

…

**Author's Note:**

Stay tuned for Sanada and Shinku's past!

I hope you guys are enjoying the new writing style, let me know what you think, please!


	25. Tarundoru

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

Flashback

_He blinked with his lips partially open; his team members leaned back at his display. His brow crumpled tightly, which further startled his team. They shared an inward notion, Sanada knew a girl? What sort of alternate universe were they living in? Sanada's brainwaves ignited, and connected his memories in a sparking blaze. In the depths of his blurred psyche he saw a flash of white, and oddly pink._

…

_A little girl with cropped white hair stood behind her mother's legs, a painfully red blush on her face. She glanced nervously at Sanada, though he was quite perplexed by her shyness. He blushed as well, though he was unsure why._

_The girl had lived near him in the same neighborhood, and regularly saw him practicing tennis at a young age. She was mystified by his skills, and would often jump up and make a spectacle of herself when he would gain a point, but would try and run on to the court yelling at his opponent when he would seldom lose. It was slightly degrading for the both of them, he would blush in shock, and soon after her tantrum she would realize her display and run off behind the gate. _

_She did not have the immediate privilege of playing tennis; her mother had instead put her in ballet classes. Occasionally he would see her walking home in her uniform—all small and out of place in her opaque peach tights—throughout the years in the onslaught of maturity she became increasingly embarrassed by his stare. She was always bigger than the other girls, but had better strength and stamina than they could hold in their spindly doe legs. _

_He noticed just how strong she could be when she traded in her ballet shoes for tennis shoes and picked up a racquet. She started by practicing alone against a brick wall, but was clumsy and would have to sprint from opposite sides to return her own serve. She was quick, for sure, and easily could transfer from left to right. Her dance training produced a constant spin in her step, so she never would stop and hit, she would just keep pivoting her foot when she would run and swing. She eventually threw out her tennis sneakers for thin textured flats since the bulky sneakers slowed her step too much. It was a peculiar sight for Sanada, as he so prided over his thick tennis shoes._

_She could play for quite some time, but was so sloppy it was mortifying. One day he couldn't stand her incompetence any further and marched on to the court, snatched her racquet away and performed the proper technique in front of her. _

_He never made it a thing with her to train her at all, she just watched him, and when she was alone she would take from him what she observed. Sporadically when he would see her at the courts he would show her new techniques he learned, after a while he pointed out her evident improvement. _

_She was still undeniably a girl, and other boys would often make fun of the two. Sanada scornfully rejected the girl as anything more than another human, which initially stung her. She'd look away shyly, but the more the two were teased the more aggressive she became. She had retorted to pushing one of the boys to the ground, silencing their mocking for that moment. Eventually Sanada just stopped showing up, thus she returned to practicing alone. _

_One day she tried to throw a bit of style in her play and attempted to hit the ball while in midair as if dancing. However the girl did not anticipate the ball coming back as fast as it did, and it hit her straight in the nose. Tears poured down her face and she just sat there sobbing into her hands. The fallen blood diluted with her pained cries, nary an adult or friend to help her. Behind her came a cold, solid voice. _

"_Tarundoru!" She turned around to see a blurry, liquefied vision of Sanada. She took her racquet and swung at him furiously. She made contact with his leg, but he didn't even flinch. Instead he took her racquet and threw it. He unzipped his own racquet and imitated the girl, but executed the move she was attempting to do without fail. He performed it with such style and strength that it humiliated her; she turned away from him and wiped her nose with her shirt, muffling her still prominent sniveling._

_Sanada opened his bag and held out a small tissue for her, along with a small bit of food leftover after his club practice. She reluctantly took his offerings, but was startled by a third party voice from their left side. _

"_Come on, Sanada! Let's go!" Yukimura waved behind the fence, his usual temperate smile on his face. Sanada hurriedly made his way towards the gate, not before turning halfway to the girl and calling once again,_

"_Tarundoru!"_

_After that, the next time Sanada saw her swing, she hit harder, with more passion (or as much passion as a small girl could have). On occasions when she would strike herself with the tennis ball she did not cry, but occasionally fell to the ground in pain, squirming with a yell and eventually got right back up. _

_The last time he saw her was when he began middle school at age thirteen. She was a year younger and any memory of her was pushed out of his mind after he joined the tennis team. They had begun their separate journeys, but the goodbye was nothing really detrimental. They were not officially friends after all. They were just two beings in the same realm of tennis. She took her racquet and ballet shoes with her to another town, but not before she left Sanada with a gift. He was baffled by her actions; widening his eyes—which had been the greatest range of reaction she had witnessed of the boy—she gave him a tennis ball with a small note attached to it. It read:_

'_**Thank you for playing tennis with me. I hope to be friends with you, and play you one day.'**_

_**Yuzani Shinku**_

_She left him dumbfounded, walking away towards the distance, the breeze ruffling her bright pink sundress, her hair wildly fraying. She rotated as she did playing tennis and smiled at him._

…

"I started playing tennis, because of you!" Shinku unintentionally started yelling, and was shushed by her own burning face. Yukimura and Kaidoh subtly leaned back by her sudden rise in volume. She straightened her back, even though it sent a violent shudder into her ribs.

"Because of me?" Sanada was unprepared by her outpouring. Shinku nodded.

"You looked so cool, playing tennis with all your friends. I wanted to do that. I asked my mother if I could quit ballet to play tennis. She wouldn't let me join a club, but she gave me a racquet to play on my own." Everyone was pretty unsure how to react; they just sat staring at the two teenagers. Both had a faint blush to their faces. Inui and Renji, however cut the tension by whipping out their notebooks and vigorously wrote over three pages worth of material. Kaidoh coughed into his fist to change the subject.

He frankly did not want to continue to open Shinku's past with other tennis teams. For all he knew, she could have been a distant cousin to Atobe or something. Something about the conversation aggravated him. His back tensed, but it was somehow unfamiliar. He had not felt so tense in so long, and Momo was quick to point it out with a sharp elbow in the side. Inui paused from his note taking for a moment.

"Shinku, Jyousei will be upset with your current state won't they?"

"She will. She was so excited that I was improving, but now that I have to sit out for a while I'm not sure how she's going to react." Hanamura could be frightening when she wanted to be, although since Shinku was not an actual Regular she might escape her sensei's wrath.

"I meant the twins." Surely, Inui wasn't serious. They twins were mostly indifferent of what Shinku did. They would care any more than Hanamura, would they? Maybe Inui knew something she didn't—regardless, Shinku brushed off the subject and ate a bit of food as it arrived. Kaidoh's eyes narrowed at Inui's claims. His glare slid over to Sanada, but The Emporer was unaffected by Viper.

"Yuzani," his muddy green eyes were glued on Sanada. Shinku lifted her head. "Accompany me next week." The table of tennis players flinched at Kaidoh's boldness. He had openly asked Shinku out on a date, or at least it sounded like a date. Her face soured—she did not appreciate his commanding demeanor—but she reluctantly agreed. Both tennis teams felt apprehensive about their exchange. Ordinarily asking one out on a date was a charming experience that left the heart aflutter. Yet with Shinku and Kaidoh their interchange was colder than a Tokyo winter. Was this how he asked her out for their first date?

Kaidoh's eyes dug into Sanada.

…

**Author's Note:**

Well well well, that's that.

I wanted this to be a short chapter since I've been burning all of your eyes with 2k word posts.

I dutifully apologize!

Reviews are most wonderfully welcomed, please!


	26. It Would Have Been A Perfect Ending, But

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

Flashback

"_Yuzani," his muddy green eyes were glued on Sanada. Shinku lifted her head. "Accompany me next week." The table of tennis players flinched at Kaidoh's boldness. He had openly asked Shinku out on a date, or at least it sounded like a date. Her face soured, she did not appreciate his commanding demeanor, but she reluctantly agreed. Both tennis teams felt apprehensive about their exchange. Ordinarily asking one out on a date was a charming experience that left the heart aflutter. Yet with Shinku and Kaidoh their interchange was colder than a Tokyo winter. Was this how he asked her out for their first date? _

_Kaidoh's eyes dug into Sanada_.

…

Shinku's return to Jyousei was not the smoothest transition. A nasty bruise had swollen the front of her lips, and her rib had slightly altered her manner of step. And since Shinku had the privilege of being friends with the school's most perceptive twins, she was easily figured out before she even spoke. Their accustomed grin was replaced with a grim frown. They assertively questioned her, prompting Shinku to explain her weekend. Their neck and shoulders tightened, a dangerous shine in their eyes.

Classes were undoubtedly awkward, lurching by painfully slow. She ate alone for once during lunch, but as soon as the dismissal bell rang and she made her way towards the courts she was faced with the twins towering over her. Youhei lightly grasped Shinku's forearms, his cold, teal eyes impaling her.

"You shouldn't be hanging around Seigaku anymore." His demanding voice frustrated her.

"And why not?!"

"They let you get hurt against Rikkai."

"I agreed to play Kirihara. I knew that I had chance of getting injured."

"He gave you a broken rib!"

"It wasn't Seigaku's fault. And I didn't exactly see you or Kouhei there."

"We didn't think you were serious about playing Kirihara, and you didn't inform us that you would be performing some cross-dressing charade to deliberately prod him into hurting you!"

"I didn't plan on him breaking my rib, I just wanted him to play me like anyone else."

"You could have just played Kouhei or I. You could've even played Reiji!" Shinku's entire body clenched, her torso burning through her medication. To avoid throwing a fit in the middle of the courtyard, she turned and stomped away from the school.

"Where are you going? We still have practice," Kouhei took a step forward to snatch her arm. She sensed his advance and took off running. A small indignant tear pooled in her eye as she said,

"I'm not helping you practice anymore!"

The twins stood dumbfounded, their arms limp at their sides.

…

Shinku stopped when she stood in front of her house, a few tear tracks stained on her skin, the pain in her ribs roaring through the medication. She slowly entered, wishing already for the shelter of weekend. She passed by her phone seeing that two messages were illuminated in neon, but bypassed them for her room.

…

Youhei lowered his phone and slanted his head to his brother.

"She's not picking up, I bet she's going to be avoiding us for the rest of the week." Kouhei leaned on one of his legs with his racquet tucked into the crease of his neck.

"Well what are we going to do about it then?" Youhei gave his brother a stern expression and fiddled with his phone.

"Leave it to me." Kouhei stretched his neck uneasily at his brother's tone.

…

Shinku would have been lying if she had said that she was unimpressed by Kaidoh's attire. He was dressed in dark wash jeans and a relaxed green shirt with a black wife beater peeking out from the collar. No trace of athletic wear graced his body. Even his bandana had been discarded for their meeting. He presented himself coolly, and did a once over of Shinku's own clothing. She was dressed in an ordinary pale blue sundress, but Kaidoh inwardly blushed when he felt his eyes slacken, he did like the color blue after all.

Without greeting he began walking, causing Shinku to ultimately trail. She was heading towards the road of pissed with Kaidoh's coldness. He led her to his training spot and sat on the grasses, Shinku did the same.

His training spot was normally his sanctum of power and determination. He would spend hours training, correcting his form, getting stronger—it was a place of business for others, but yet very relaxing for him. He was undisturbed by others and left alone with his thoughts, though at that moment in time he could hardly claim he was alone. Shinku looked around and noticed her companion's sudden change in attitude; his austerity had given way to tranquility. She almost felt guilty for being so impatient with him. A small grin tugged at her lips, but thinned when he turned his head to her—his lack of a bandana surprised her, it really changed the way he emoted.

"You're close with the Tanaka twins." Shinku's head rose at his statement.

"You've become really bold, Kaidoh." She avoided the conversation.

"You shouldn't be so close with them," he centered the argument again.

"And why not?" Shinku tried not to crinkle her face at hearing the same dispute twice.

"They don't respect you," he meant to imply they did not care for her, but thought that would be too brash, "They didn't show up at your match with Kirihara." She couldn't retort him, he was right. She remained mute. He leaned forwards with his shoulders away from the girl, a little embarrassed that he might have hurt her feelings.

"I just mean-" he began.

"I quit helping their tennis team." He whipped his head around. His murky eyes held hers. Her dark saffron eyes veiled a flash of pain. "Youhei told me to stay away from Seigaku." Kaidoh paled at the correlation, it washed a feeling of boorishness over him. She continued, "He blamed you guys for my injury."

Kaidoh lowered his head and turned away from her. It was a silent apology from the snake, and she took it. He rubbed the back oh his neck and began again.

"You knew Sanada-san?" She could decode his brief inquiry.

"His talent just motivated me to play tennis, that's all. I wanted something more than a thin old spinster telling me that I wasn't thin enough to ever be en pointe. I wanted to be strong." Kaidoh nodded, who better than Sanada to teach one about strength? Shinku scooted faintly closer towards him.

"Will you start call me by my name again?" He reached his head around with one eyebrow up.

"My name, you've been calling me Yuzani lately. Will you start calling me Shinku again?" He quietly nodded. She grinned widely, and Kaidoh was somehow at peace with it. Her 'new' demeanor that he so brazenly discarded as aberrant had grown on him. It brightened her face and made her appear less of the cold embittered girl she had been.

Maybe her 'change' was merely who she really was. Her cold exterior was just a front, just for show to give her a false send of hubris while she clawed for the spot as the ultimate tennis player. She was first and foremost a girl, a cheerful human with a pleasant life and loving friends. She did not need the unnecessary hostility that had kept people at bay, they could still love her for the impatient, masculine girl that she was. She had ambition, and vitality; and luckily Shinku was a terrible liar, thus the Regulars could easily see past her Napoleon-esque front at the cabin. Jyousei only pulled even more from her, finishing what Seigaku had started. They taught her to not to be scared, and maybe he could-

She stood and faced the water, brushing off stray pieces of grass. Kaidoh rose as well.

Kaidoh stared down at the girl in front of him, both bemused. There was no real prompt for any type of affection, so they just stood there looking at each other. Kaidoh flinched whenever the ghostly girl took a step forward so that mere centimeters separated them. She did not reach up to peck him or raise her arms to hug him. She unhinged her sight from his, turning her head towards the water and lightly placed her head near his chest with her arms taped to her side. He could feel the weight of her hair on his shirt and the tiny electrical sparks sputtering from the near contact between them. He raised one of his muscled arms and positioned it gently across her shoulders. A small hiss unconsciously escaped his lips, and he pinched one of the ends of her powdery white hair.

She stepped back and said deadpan, "One thing that needs to change is the rest of the team following us." Both looked up and saw whom else but a majority of Seigaku watching over them intently. Fuji waved politely, Eiji wrapped his elbows around Oishi and Ryoma, Momo gave Viper a knowing wink, Inui held a camera in one hand, his notes ready in the next, Tomoka was squealing loudly and shaking Sakuno.

Both heads dropped with a heaving sigh; their mirror movements brought a light chuckle from Shinku, and a rattling hiss 'laugh' from Kaidoh. They rotated and made their way to the rest of the team, their shadows connecting into one perfect form.

…

**Author's Note:**

Aww happy feelings, but oh

It is not done yet! This is not the end! Stayed tuned for more drama and tennis.

It is coming to an end soon though, the main story at least.

After the very last "plot chapter" I will have a slew of filler chapters for further reading.

Rate and Reviews, please.


	27. Then It All Went To Hell

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

**Flashback**

_She stepped back and said deadpan, "One thing that needs to change is the rest of the team following us." Both looked up and saw whom else but a majority of Seigaku watching over them intently. Fuji waved politely, Eiji wrapped his elbows around Oishi and Ryoma, Momo gave Viper a knowing wink, Inui held a camera in one hand, his notes ready in the next, Tomoka was squealing loudly and shaking Sakuno. _

_Kaidoh and Shinku's heads dropped with a heaving sigh; their mirror movements brought a light laugh from Shinku, and a rattling hiss 'laugh' from Kaidoh. Both rotated and made their way to the rest of the team, their shadows connecting into one perfect form. _

…

It would have been ideal that their story would end then; that they peacefully strolled into the sunset toward her original tennis family, but things for Shinku would unfortunately not turn out so. The reconnection with Seigaku put her in utter euphoria, but she should have known better than to completely discard her pragmatic nature. She still attended Jyousei with the Tanaka twins, not to mention Wakato and Kajimoto would soon be getting wind of her situation. She didn't expect Rikkai to get involved in any way, but due to the extended line of gossip that travels from team to team they would be caught up with her ordeal before she would be able to ring up Sanada.

She had "quit" Jyousei's team so to say. She abandoned them; she was a traitor in some aspect of tennis law. But her schedule mirrored the Twins's and was caught in their rut, and she was far too stubborn to surrender her everyday life to avoid the tennis duo. Yet to her amazement she was completely ignored. She was not pestered to rejoin the tennis team, nor was she even acknowledged by the twins. She did not even receive any whiff of their chilling teal glares behind her back. If Shinku had any trace of naivety left she would have been relieved by their indifference, but she could feel ulterior motives bubbling in their bones. It electrified her frame and she was left with an overpowering sense of anticipation to what they were planning.

She got her answer several weeks later.

…

With her free time she had slowly rebuilt her relation with—whom else—Kaidoh. It was a delicate process that she was not eager to quickly rekindle. After a while they had gotten back to where they had started, where the closest form of contact they shared was a rigid ruffling of the hair. She wouldn't have wanted it any other way though. They spoke the same language, minus the hissing and snake colloquialism of course. But he felt no need to impart his emotions on her, and she was content with that. Their relationship was interesting to say the least; his attraction to something so ghostly should frighten him, and her attraction to someone so severe should frighten her.

But in their fear they found they could stand each other's company, even enjoy it.

So who else to ruin such a fragile balance but a demon from her past.

…

Shinku stood near the courts of Seigaku for her weekly tennis date with Viper, her racquet balanced on the toe of her water shoe. She and Kaidoh made no effort to impress one another on dates, they were comfortable with just playing tennis or visiting a pet store rather than actually make an effort to fit in stereotypical dating snares. She casually smoothed her athletic tank top and straightened the hem of her black tennis shorts. Kaidoh was uncharacteristically late, but Shinku gave him privileged doubt that his morning run had gone on a bit longer than usual. She flicked up her racquet and poised it on top of her wrist. She was immersed in her balancing endeavor, but a voice knocked it over on her toe.

"Oi." She glanced over to the voice, saffron colliding with beryl. His eyes were almost unfamiliar, and she had to blink to realize who it was behind the gate.

"What are you doing in these parts?" She cautiously watched Youhei enter, his height even more daunting than before. She was taken back by his light expression as he answered her.

"I thought I would get a friendlier greeting from you, Snow-head."

"I think it's been a bit too long for that moniker, Tanaka-san." His step was halted by her biting formality.

"Shinku-" her eyes darkened, "-san." His vision roamed around—she assumed for Kaidoh—but they ultimately landed back on her.

"Why are you here?" He paused, and the playful spark in his face dimmed.

"I wanted to apologize." She was caught off-guard. She herself was not one for direct apologies, but neither was Youhei. It was a trait they shared, and often bonded over. Youhei, however was much more subtle with his resolutions. His nerve silenced her, and he continued.

"It's not my place to tell you what to do." He looked past her and he took a half step forward. Something seemed to catch his attention and he took another stride toward her, closing the distance in between them. He kept his vision directed to his left, but leaned down toward her.

"But I will say this," he rested in her dying sunflower eyes for a moment before leaning left, "I said it, because I care for you." His leaned his head even closer, his right arm framed the space on the gate behind her, and his left pushed on her racquet—which she then tried to shove back to open space between them. He did not push his mouth against hers, or embrace her tightly. He just dug his searing eyes into hers, their noses daring to touch, stealing bits of staggered breaths.

He leaned his head even further left, forcing her dry lips to briefly contact his cheek, but when she turned to see what he was so consumed by she gasped and whipped her head against the gate.

Kaidoh hissed, rather growled. The towel around his neck was swept up by the wind, and the sweat that clung to his bandana steamed. Youhei looked all too relaxed with his actions and took a step back. His attitude was blasé, but Kaidoh threw his water bottle at him, hisses rising from his throat. Shinku pushed past the Jyousei Regular to explain, but Kaidoh was off running again, his face crimson with anger. Shinku stood still, her racquet weak in her hands. She could hear Youhei's footsteps, and with a mighty lash of her arm she attempted to bash his head in.

Youhei was too skilled to be unprepared for her bludgeoning, and caught the racquet with his fingers. She clutched the strings and pushed him with a brute explosion from her broadened shoulders. He was knocked slightly off balance, but stood upright, not before she pushed him once again, forcing him on one knee.

"Bastard! What is wrong with you?" Tears poured from her eyes, and she was immediately starting to regret the lost control on her anger. She stomped the court and slapped him across the face; he dutifully allowed the smack.

"You jerk, I was happy! Then you had to go and ruin it!" He fell back and let the insults further pierce his body. She ripped her racquet from his arms and threw it on the ground.

"I'm done with this tennis shit!" She picked it up again and threw it over the gate over by the water fountains. It was all scratched and chipped from the release of her frustrations, looking withered and hurt. She cursed at him again, and cursed her racquet; it cracked, as did she. She slung her bag over her shoulder, discharging more oaths from her watery mouth. Youhei sat on the court with his head crushed under his fingers. He grabbed at his hair until he could feels some of his pink locks loosen from his scalp. A frustrated groan gurgled from his chest, he dropped his fists to the ground.

…

**Author's Note:**

Oh so serious, stay tuned for the next chapter.

Please tell me what you think!


	28. Time Passing

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

_**Flashback**_

"_You jackass, I was happy! Then you had to go and ruin it!" He fell back and let the insults further pierce his body. She ripped her racquet from his arms and threw it on the ground. _

"_I'm done with this tennis shit!" She picked it up again and threw it over the gate over by the water fountains. It was all scratched and chipped from the release of her frustrations, looking withered and hurt. It cracked, as did she. She slung her bag over her shoulder, discharging more curses from her watery mouth. Youhei sat on the court with his head crushed under his fingers. He grabbed at his hair until he could feels some of his pink locks loosen from his scalp. A frustrated groan erupted from his chest, he slammed his fist on the ground._

…

The year had ended.

Then a few years after that.

Before they knew it, High School had crept up on them, college for the older Regulars. Yet again, Kaidoh was captain of his high school team, feeling an overwhelming sense of déjà vu alongside Ryoma and Momoshiro. He did not seem to mind it though. It was comfortable, predictable. Predictable was good for him. He could focus his energy on his superhuman skill and strength.

He had grown especially handsome, and quite tall. His jaw chiseled out and accented the severity in his face, but he had taught his eyes to be warmer and not so off-putting as they had been. He seldom wore his bandana anymore, but those he knew preferred his head to be covered in an emerald and white fabric swatch. Of course he continued his habit of hissing, but with his increasing familiarity with others it became endearing.

It would have been pleasant if he had forgotten all about the snowy-headed girl from his past.

It would also have been pleasant if she were rightly in his arms.

Either way would have been an acceptable ending, but he had unfortunately experience neither.

He attempted to court other girls, though few still had courage to approach him. He still was quite an intimidating individual, despite his appeal. He tried putting his heart and soul into tennis, but the lone one percent of his being remained locked away.

She remained, and he couldn't help but feel human to wonder how time had affected her.

…

Her eyes were ever the muddy yellow they had been, though older and narrower than before. Her height creeped up barely an inch before she was cursed at five foot six—albeit taller than most girls in the school. She kept her cropped ghostly haircut, along with her muscled tennis physique. In secret she continued to dance and practice her tennis much to Jyousei's ignorance. Or at least she _thought_ they were ignorant. Sure she had claimed that she had given up tennis, but even Sanada however many miles away could vouch that the girl was not capable of such heresy. She practiced by herself, as she did many years ago in Kanagawa.

Against her own standards she had drastically improved, but she had yet to play another human. She dared not ask anyone from Jyousei, or Seigaku. She even avoided Rikkai Dai knowing that word was likely to spread that she was back in the tennis scene. She hid her progress like a dark secret, though her teams would have been more than ecstatic to play a match with her, it would have brought the old Shinku back. The Shinku that didn't hate them.

Her relapsed bitterness had cooled off and given way for a more optimistic glow, though tainted by a certain sadness at her isolation from Seigaku. She had nearly dropped ties with them after her freshman year of high school, though it did not seem so detrimental to either side. She had instead made amends with the Tanaka twins, agreeing to cheer for them at matches, but stay out of their way during practices. She was content with their accord, though their relationship was not entirely as it had been. Time was sure to weave in the loose ends. She wished she could have said the same for a certain Mamushi. She often found herself sighing, faintly hissing as if her were there next to her.

Shinku didn't give the twins enough credit; they could gather what she was planning by advancing her tennis, they knew how both their cotton-haired companion and the snake boy communicated.

By tennis.

The weekend had arrived, and her sapphire and pink counterparts turned to look at her with knowing identical eyes. Kouhei plucked her phone from her bag and handed it to her.

"I think it's about time, Shinku."

…

**Author's Note:**

Almoooost done, then I have some filler chapters just for funsies.


	29. Hello Again

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

_**Flashback**_

_The weekend had arrived, and her sapphire and pink counterparts turned to look at her with knowing identical eyes. Kouhei plucked out her phone from her bag and handed it to her._

_"I think it's about time, Shinku."_

…

There stood Kaidoh, his bandana stuffed in his bag, the overcast sky de-saturating his skin. His heart rate quickened ever so slightly, his breath catching an occasional hiss. He should not be acting so childish, he was eighteen after all, and it was just a simple match between…

Well they weren't really friends anymore now were they?

Sweat already accumulated at his ear, but he chose to blame it on the humid weather.

It was just a match.

But her tone of voice implied so much more.

There were hints in her request that surpassed just a simple tennis match. It was against him no less; there would be no gender tricks to fool him. He had seen her form, he knew her.

He thought he knew her at least. Could she have gone through an entire personality change in their time away from each other? He rubbed the side of his face, and checked the tension on his racquet. His snapped his head up a bit annoyed when a tennis ball bounced off the rim. He bit his inner lip at the girl before him.

"Put your bandana on, I won't play you without it."

Her face was absolutely frightening: ghostly and pale—barely standing out from her hair—her eyes were nearly radiating under the approaching storm clouds, worst of all she was explicitly determined. And Kaidoh knew that not even the passage of time could ever change the way Shinku was when she had that unwavering flicker in her iris. He grasped his bandana tightly.

…

_Ponk_.

He had improved, but so had she.

_Ponk_.

She was beautiful, he had to admit. It struck a familiar apprehension in him that he welcomed back without question.

She was frustrated at his distraction, but found herself to be equally as distracted by his towering stature and well-aged being.

He did put up a fight, though. It was exhilarating, she would continue to have a true match from Viper even if she had to walk over and hit him with her racquet.

_Ponk_.

Neither would allow pity points, the score they earned had been acquired with their own blood and sweat. His snake shots were faster and stronger. He was even more cunning, a trait he so wonderfully shared with his reptilian inspiration.

But her grace and use of momentum was a delightful foil to his brute strength. She had gotten stronger, giving her swings even more power than she cared to show. She had taught herself many new tricks, and he admired that.

_Ponk_.

Something felt right about their match. It was far more communication he ever exchanged with her verbally. Not even when the rain began to stroke their dancing bodies did they cease their tennis war. Her eyes lit up in the lightning, and his swings and steps boomed against the thunder. They each looked to control their element, struggling to rise up the hill.

_Ponk_.

She was growing weary, as was he. But his body would not allow the outward display. Neither dared to call a break.

_Ponk_.

She loved him.

Maybe it wasn't real love; maybe it was just stupid teenage love. But he stupid, teenage loved her as well. With each slice and bounce of the tennis ball they covered the past four years wordlessly, every event being laid out on the court.

_Ponk_.

But in that moment when they held each other's vision—his unusual green against her gold—they were everything. There was no Youhei or Kouhei, there was no Sanada, there were no other girls. There was not even tennis.

It was just the two of them. And they were fond of the other's ugly, grimacing face. The score did not matter, and to be honest neither was keeping count. It was irrelevant. It occurred to them that the rain had formed into a small typhoon, their bodies drenched and suffocating under their clothes. She thanked the rain for blending with her tearing eyes. Shivered puffs were caught in her throat, and before Kaidoh could swivel to serve the ball once more she discarded her racquet and ran over to him.

He flinched at her movements, but watched as she hopped over the net with ease. He expected her to pause in front of him as she did so long ago.

But she didn't. She threw her flexed body onto his, encasing him in a constricted, slippery hug. She let one small choked sob be silenced by his shoulder, and wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. Her eyes widened when she felt him grasp onto her sodden locks to pull her head back quite gruffly. She anticipated him to brusquely smash his wet, twisted face against hers, but was astonished when he placed a quick chaste kiss on her lips. He sort of missed, only claiming half of her mouth, but held her head back and stared at her through the dense rain. His eyes burned and sent a warm flood of emotion through her veins.

He was not afraid of her, or who she was and could be. She was not afraid either.

He did not exclaim his undying love for her, or attempt to steal her virtue right there on the court; none of the unrealistic fantasies probably found in Nanjiro's novels. Instead, he loosened his grip on her, setting her down on the ground before placing a better-planned peck on her plush lips.

He did not need to say it, they were beyond words, and to be honest, neither could handle the amount of sentimentality that the situation depicted. He just lowered his forehead against hers, their closed eyelashes caressing the other's lids. His silently hissing mouth rested against her skin.

And that's all that she needed.


	30. Lucky

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

These are some fun filler chapters taking place after Kaidoh and Shinku's little tennis match.

…

"You want us to what?"

There stood Shinku, An, Sakuno, and Tomoka in less than modest cheerleading uniforms, with a silently smug Renji and Inui in front of them. Shinku and An were ten shades of livid, Sakuno hid her burning face behind her frail hands, and Tomoka seemed to be the only one comfortable to what The Professor and Doc were requesting.

"We're asking you to participate in an experiment that will hopefully help the boys practice harder." They were so casual that it evoked a paired snarl from An and Shinku.

"You're asking us to be their harem."

"One kiss. That is the motive. A harmless peck on the cheek for the winner. I highly doubt that is too much to ask for." Renji sighed and tilted his head at the unreasonable girls. They glanced nervously at one another, noticeably defeated after going over the same conversation for the past ten minutes. They exchanged a heavy breath.

"But was it really necessary to invite every team that we know?" The girls looked past Inui and Renji at the herd of males around them. Bits and pieces of each team were present, and together they were horribly overwhelming.

"It's competition; conflicting personalities will really help push the tennis quality, and having a satisfying prize at the end is an added perk." The girls' faces lit up in an unfathomable blush. Renji coughed a bit taken back by his own word choice,

"Don't be so embarrassed, the winner also receives a free meal." The girls nearly fell to the ground in relief, their wave of indignity beginning to diminish. Surely food would be a more effective initiative to get the boys competing. Atobe slid one of his regal legs forward and glistened his eyes at the girls,

"But a kiss from a beautiful maiden is the greatest gift of all, ne Kabaji?"

"Usu."

The blushes flowed freely until he spoke again, "except a kiss from Ore-sama of course." He waltzed up to Sakuno, and gracefully took her hand to bestow it with a light kiss, but was interrupted with a smack from Shinku and Ryoma. He did not seem bothered by their violence. He instead turned his elegant face toward Shinku.

"You touched Ore-sama, are you in awe of my flawless skin?" A vein nearly severed itself from her head. He spoke again breathily, "Tell Ore-sama your name."

"You damned Bastar-"

"Oh yes, let me introduce our cheerleaders," Inui glided in from the side, gesturing towards the fuming girls.

"Here we have Fudomine's own An."

"Seigaku's Sakuno and Tomoka."

"Jyousei's Shinku-" they glanced over at their pale cheerleader, and allowed a bit of sweat to stain their jerseys when they saw that Shinku had inflicted several bruises and scratches on a discarded Atobe—who was on the cusp of unconsciousness—and groaned at her primitive violence. Inui raised his voice at the audience of tennis players before him.

"Now the event is simple: complete the 10k loop first and you will receive a free meal and a kiss from our cheerleaders."

"Now on the line."

"Runner's Set."

"Go!"

…

Now in Kaidoh's eyes, there were several things wrong with having the four tennis girls bestow a kiss on them in reward for their training.

One: they were being a presented as a prize, surely that was close to human trafficking wasn't it?

Two: Shinku was his partner—it still felt odd to refer her as his girlfriend—and he would not allow another man to be blessed with a kiss—even if chaste—from her. He knew that Ryoma—though he would never admit it—would feel the same for Sakuno. He also knew that Momo and Kamio would murder everyone on the field before they could even come close to Ann.

Three: If this were supposed to breed competition, did that imply that the rest of the other boys subconsciously wanted to kiss their girls? He grimaced at the idea, and could feel himself seething at the Regulars around him.

He knew the trails like the back of his hand, and was at ease with his surroundings. He had completed enough 10ks to give him an initial lead over the rest of the teams, but he did not anticipate Sanada's long legs to be able to keep up with him. He was further caught off guard when Youhei and Kouhei suddenly appeared on either side of him. He frowned sourly. His pissed level rose when he turned to see that Ryoma and Momo, and just about everyone else slowly catch up to him. He was appalled, had he lost his touch, surely no one could be as fit as he. This was a warm up run for him! Had the idea of food and a peck really brought out some untapped inner fire from the tennis boys?

He picked up his pace, and was vexed when the rest of the boys did the same.

…

Shinku and Kaidoh were in their early stages of serious dating. Hell, he had barely given her a real kiss. The last one they shared was when they had their tennis match in the rain. He delightfully noted that they both caught a cold shortly after.

Nevertheless, he was irritated that Renji and Inui had come up with their little plan. He suspected fowl play against he, Momo, Ryoma and the rest of the love-struck boys. Those girls were the only females they really knew, so it was incredibly touchy that they were presented as objects for their shallow affection. He questioned the motives of the boys around him.

Sanada was sure to be noble, wouldn't he? He would refuse the kiss and offer to take everyone out to eat, right? Yagyuu would immediately decline; he was a true gentleman. But even as a gentleman he was still a male, and harbored impure intentions just as the rest of them, correct? Even Kojiro and Fuji's little brother were capable of taking advantage of the situation. Most certainly, Atobe would abuse his opportunity to do something inappropriate. There was no doubt. He cursed all of the boys around him and forced his distracted leg muscles to turn faster.

…

The girls stood at the finish line, their arms crossed. Renji and Inui were smart enough to keep a decent distance away, as the girls were still outraged. Shinku kicked one of their smashed pom-poms and lifted her head to the girls.

"Who do you think is going to win?"

The girls honestly were unsure. Each boy had their own individual talent that they could exploit in order to claim victory, whether fair or not. Tomoka spun giddily and threw one of the pom-poms in the air.

"Ne, I hope it's Kojiro-kun! Or Yagyuu-kun!"

Tomoka was slowly branching out her Ryoma fanclub to include a few choice tennis members. The girls laughed at her crooning. Sakuno brought her frail hands to her chin and stuttered,

"M-maybe, Ryoma-kun could-" she blushed violently and chose not to finish her thought, earning a sympathetic coo from her friends. Everyone knew An and Shinku's choice, but it still did not answer who they thought would legitimately win. It was truthfully a mystery to all of them. They nervously exchanged glances.

…

His face was red to the point of Devil mode, Kaidoh growled at the boys behind him. They were purposefully not outrunning him in order to pass him at the last minute. The last mile was nearing, and there was no room for mistakes.

He would be damned if any of them best him in a fitness race. He would be damned if they beat him at anything. He would be damned if they tried to beat him by tricks or cheating. And he would sure be damned if he allowed any of them to get the privilege of touching his girl.

_His_ girl. _His_ Shinku. He snarled, feeling the heat surge throughout his body, and he shot forward like a bullet, leaving the pack and only pulling along a few other tennis players behind him. He could sense that it was Atobe, the Tanaka Twins, Ryoma, Sengoku, and worst of all,

Sanada.

He knew he shouldn't be so affected by Sanada since he and Shinku were merely tennis partners in their younger days. They were barely even friends—he should have been more worried about Youhei or Atobe. But he admired Sanada. He was The Emporer: strong, devoted, and a man of little words. He was admittedly better than Kaidoh. But that didn't mean that Kaidoh couldn't beat him.

Every inch of Kaidoh's muscular back rippled under his shirt, forcing a venomous hiss to sputter from his teeth. He tore the cloth of his back and growled over his footsteps,

"No one bests Kaidoh Kaoru!" He whipped his shirt back and bolted, ready to cover the last half-mile faster than any land animal. Sanada spat at the impact with Kaidoh's shirt and threw it at Atobe. The Monkey King hatched an idea and began to lift his shirt over his head, noticing the sudden speed increase. The rest of the mini-pack mimicked the two of them, amazed at how much easier it was to run through the nearly unbearable heat. A dark glower colored their eyes and they too began to sprint.

…

The girls kicked the debris that covered the court, gossiping idly of ordinary girlish topics. They were actually enjoying not being surrounded by the ocean of testosterone, as they were accustomed to, and were disheartened when they heard a thundering of footsteps. They turned to see Kaidoh nearing the finish line. Shinku's face subtly brightened, as did Kaidoh's as each stride led him closer to the end. Shinku picked up her pair of beaten pom-poms and waved them gleefully.

"Oi, go Kaidoh! Kai-doh! Kai-doh! Kai-" Both Shinku and Kaidoh's elated expressions were shattered when Kaidoh—who was millimeters from crossing the finish line—was swiftly passed by a blur of orange.

Lucky Sengoku.

The overjoyed ginger bastard stood there, jubilant and shirtless in front of his girlfriend and the rest of the cheerleaders chuckling lightly.

"Oi, lucky! I won!" He smiled, earning a confused blush from the girls. The rest of the boys trailed wearily.

"Dammit Sengoku, you little trick," Atobe rolled up and panted gallantly.

"You all were going to do it to, don't try to lie!" No one expected Sengoku to outwit the prodigies around him. Sengoku creased his brow and pointed accusingly at the shirtless tennis players.

The shirtless tennis players.

Sakuno turned around, her face nearly bleeding from the amount of crimson flooding her cheeks. Tomoka was almost floating with her hands clasped together, and An bit back a haughty laugh. Shinku's face looked like a bright strawberry covered in powdered sugar. It had been ages since she had seen Kaidoh, or any of the team members in a less than… clothed state—it didn't help that they had grown so much since middle school. She turned her head as well, but was face to face with Sengoku, whom had his cheek leaned toward her.

"You're first, Yuzani-chan!" She was a little miffed at his sudden addition of the suffix to her name. She leaned back as he pushed his face toward hers. Her head came in contact with Kaidoh's exposed chest as he stretched his arm to wrap his veined hand murderously around Sengoku's neck. Inui and Renji's uniform cough startled him, causing him to let go of the carrot boy.

"I believe you are mistaken Sengoku." Everyone spun their heads to the Data Masters—who were holding two photos. Both revealed that Kaidoh's chest passed over the finish line before Sengoku had surpassed him, implying that it was in fact Kaidoh who claimed victory. Kaidoh turned back to Sengoku and reached his hand out once more, and flicked his head.

"Nobody bests Kaidoh Kaoru."

The girls looked nervously at Kaidoh, sure he was attractive, but he was still the same intimidating Viper as before. He was not entirely charming like Yukimura or Kojiro.

Luckily Kaidoh held up a polite palm and dismissed the girls, earning a thankful outbreath. The rest of the tennis players finished up their failed run, only to see Kaidoh smiling—as much as a snake could smile—lavishing in his victory. They expected his display to end there, but Kaidoh snatched his shirt from Atobe, redressed himself, and walked up straight to Shinku.

He had not dismissed _her_ from her duties.

With a flex of his arms he hoisted Shinku up in his arms and coiled his lips onto hers. It was different from the quick little pecks he had been giving her. For one, it was dead on her mouth, unlike his prior attempts. Also, it was earnest and passionate, most definitely not innocent. He spared her dignity by holding back his wayward tongue, though it proved to be far more difficult, even more than the 10k they had just finished. But he did allow himself the indulgence of letting his hand drift a bit lower than it should have. Some of the boys let out a coy whistle. He set down Shinku and angled his vicious head at the boys behind him, utter testosterone exuding from his back. He had presented his dominance toward his spectators, and was quite proud of the spectacle he presented. His smug smile was wiped clean off by Shinku's hand swiping across his face. He turned to her, cross but stunned.

"What the hell was that for?" He immediately regretted his words when he saw a pained red on her face. She raised her hand and hit him again.

"Idiot, I was supposed to kiss you!"

Their audience chuckled a bit uncomfortably;

of course the couple would quarrel about who was more in control, rather than enjoy their bold display of affection.

Sengoku turned to Sakuno and asked flirtatiously,

"Sakuno, may I still have a kiss even though I didn't win?" He was answered with a swift smack by Ryoma's racquet.

Sengoku was truly lucky,

Ryoma could have killed him.

…

Author's Note:

Eh… this one was a little crack-ficcy,

Anyway I hope you enjoyed the first filler, more to come!


	31. The Forgotten Day

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

These are some fun filler chapters taking place after Kaidoh and Shinku's little tennis match.

…

Shinku blinked and looked around. She did not have any recollection of where she was. The strange boys in blue kept trying to keep her attention, but they were boring, so she wandered around to find something interesting, or at least something that would clue her in on what was going on.

She ambled on to an area of tennis courts, and found of group of boys practicing with one another. She couldn't quite explain it, but she felt a sort of kinship with the sport, and was engrossed in their style.

Mainly the tall fellow with purple hair, it was parted in the middle at cascaded around his sharp, but handsome face. Under his right eye lay a tear mole that brought attention to the great depths of his sultry black eyes. Something was unnaturally attractive about the boy, but Shinku couldn't place it. His piercing gaze met hers; she had not realized that she was gawking at him. Her face was engulfed in flames when his lips curled into a teasing smirk. He motioned with his head to enter the gates with his hands exultantly on his hips.

"Shinku, what are you doing wandering around my kingdom?" Shinku was taken back by her own name. Her name was really Shinku? She was so stupefied, she didn't respond to his question.

"Are you here to be awed by the sight of my prowess?" He flicked his hair and sent a tennis ball across the court, lodging the ball through a gap in the gate. Shinku audibly gasped, which pumped pleasure into Atobe's ego. He wasn't accustomed to her being captivated by his tennis—and though it was odd he didn't find it strange that she was acting out of character—he regally laughed and held his hand out to her.

"Would you like to see more of Ore-sama's prowess?" She blushed and faintly nodded.

Shinku sat respectfully and watched Atobe complete shot after shot, each more magnificent than the last. Occasionally she would open her mouth in amazement, which pushed Atobe to be even more flamboyant, clicking his tongue and grinning at the cotton-haired girl. The rest of Hytoei gaped at the sight they were beholding.

Yuzani Shinku, the girl who cursed and blew off Atobe as if he were less than trash was now glued to the bench mystified by their graduated captain. She even seemed attracted to him, or at least riveted by his noble features. Wasn't she Kaidoh's girl? They all stood back, puzzled sweat beading at the nape of their necks.

…

Kajimoto whipped his head around in search for his kouhai. It was dangerous to let her out of his sight as she had lost her memory, for who knows what she could be getting herself in. Wakato was not far behind and asked his superior,

"Where do you suppose she is?" Kajimoto exhaled forcefully.

"My guess is she will be near the courts. She seems to have cognizance of tennis, but not much else."

…

"So Shinku has finally admitted her feelings for Ore-sama, ne Kabaji?"

"Usu."

Shinku was confused; did she harbor a deep-rooted crush for him? She couldn't blame herself if she did. Atobe closed one of his eyes, "What about the snake boy?" She shook her head, for she hadn't a clue what he was talking about.

"What snake boy?" Atobe opened his eyes briefly before smiling. He angled his face dangerously near Shinku's. Her cheeks could not get any redder, that is, until Atobe continued leaning in closer and closer. He could feel the heat rise from her, and he could almost sense his skin against hers until a powerful force threw him to the right. A tennis ball had collided against his perfect, unblemished cheek and sent him across the court. Shinku jumped in surprise and snapped to the power that knocked out the King.

There stood a boy breathing heavily, sweat rolling down his smooth, angry face. He had chin length hazelnut hair that almost hid his silver eyes. An earring graced his left ear. Shinku lifted a curious eyebrow, what was with all of the attractive tennis players? The boy stepped forward, but turned to his carrot-headed partner.

"Wakato, call Kaidoh and tell him that Shinku is being harassed by Atobe at the courts near the park." Wakato nodded but then realized,

"We don't have his number!" And Shinku didn't have her phone. Kajimoto cursed under his breath.

"You'll have to run and find him, I'll keep Atobe busy." Wakato nodded once again and left off to find the Viper. Kajimoto held out his hand and motioned for Shinku to join him.

"It's okay, Shinku. Just come with me and I'll take you to Kaidoh." She fidgeted restlessly, who were these guys coming up to her? Atobe jumped up from his less than flattering state and growled at Kajimoto.

"No one tarnishes Ore-sama's handsome face. You will pay, imbecile!" Kajimoto glared at Atobe.

"Shinku belongs to Kaidoh, and I will not have you stealing her virtue." The aforementioned girl held her breath, a crease starting to form in her brow. A familiar anger pulsed through her veins, though she was unsure why.

"Shinku has denounced the snake cad, she rightfully belongs to Ore-sama ne Kabaji?"

"Usu."

Atobe crossed his arms, but not before he was knocked over a second time with a tennis ball. Shinku clutched a nearby racquet and had it high over her head. Wildfire burned in her eyes and she bellowed—though surprised by her own tone,

"I belong to no one!" Kajimoto seemed relieved that the old Shinku looked to be resurfacing, but was disheartened when a tennis ball was cast towards him as well. It ponked straight between his eyes and he was knocked down with Atobe. She ran through the gates, leaving two injured tennis boys, and a thoroughly stunned Hytoei.

…

She stomped off and found herself surrounded by bright happy people who had some sort of tennis garb in their possession. The sport further consumed her, and brought an aching pulsation through her brain. She held her head and tried to make sense of her attachment to the game, but found nothing.

Just then, a strange boy with overpowering orange hair walked up to her with a polite hand raised in greeting.

"Oi, Shinku! You're at the festival without Kaidoh, lucky me!" Poor Sengoku would not be so lucky as he leaned in to give her a friendly hair pat and was graced with the side of Shinku's foreign racquet. Shinku quickly gave him a kick in the stomach and took off past him. She would not be fooled by another attractive tennis player.

"Pervert!"

Sengoku lay twitching on the ground, holding his torso. A smug Jin stood over him, his gaze turning from his ex-teammate to the retreating ghost girl. He lowered his hand to Sengoku without taking his sight off Shinku,

"Something's off about her today."

"Should we inform Kaidoh?" Sengoku rubbed his stomach.

"No," Jin cracked a sideways smile, "Just let whatever happens happen." He turned the other way, but not before giving Sengoku a mischievous jab.

…

Kojiro Saeki and Fuji were casually strolling around the festival, the old friends passing by shops and younger tennis players. They chatted lightly, but were interrupted by the sound of their own growling stomachs. They laughed heartily at their hunger, and paused in front of a food shop. Fuji offered to go inside and pay for their meal. Kojiro politely nodded and waited out, peering past the glass as his friend stood in line. In the reflection, however he could see the form of a secondary powder-haired individual and turned to a distraught Shinku.

She was not quite familiar with Rokkaku—she had met then but one time—and Kojiro had to admit he knew little about the girl. He only knew what Fuji had told him. He looked at her gently when her paled face met his.

"Is something the matter, Yuzani-san?" He slid one of his long legs toward her, "You look troubled. Would you like me to get Kaidoh?"

Shinku marveled at his predominately white hair and stood on her toes toward him. It was a stab in the dark, but he was afterall the only other ivory-haired individual under sixty she had seen.

"Brother?!" Now, Kojiro was not well acquainted with Shinku, but he knew for a fact she did not have siblings. His tender face pinked at her exclamation. She took a step towards him, igniting a darker color. Fuji had never mentioned this strange side of her—in fact, she was entirely the opposite of Fuji's portrayal. He thanked the Gods when Fuji joined them outside. Fuji being Fuji, could immediately sense the trouble the girl was causing his childhood friend, though he was not entirely aware of her condition.

"Shinku, why aren't you with Kaidoh?"

There it was again. Kaidoh. Kaidoh Kadioh Kaidoh. Just who the hell was this Kaidoh everyone kept mentioning?

"Who is Kaidoh?!" She waved her arms hysterically, steam bursting from her ears. Somehow, Fuji did not seem fazed by her incompetence, rather he seemed amused. He humorously retorted,

"Yea-high, long dark hair, green eyes. Quite an odd individual." She stood confused by his explanation, and was deadpan as Fuji spoke again.

"Your boyfriend, Shinku." He stressed the end of her name playfully. She honestly didn't want to run again, but her legs unconsciously spun her around and stretched once more past the slew of festival people. Her core ached at his words, how did everyone know so much about her, yet she knew nothing?

Kojiro turned to his friend with a taut pout, "That's a terrible trick to play on me, Fuji." Fuji handed him his food and took a bite of his own.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

…

She kept running and running until she collided with a certain boy with wild black hair and piercing emerald eyes. He stepped backwards, and was shocked by the girl in front of him.

"Yuzani, what's with you?" Kirihara looked down at the girl, she seemed frightened, but livid. He noticed the foreign racquet in her hand, and how tense her grip on it was. She was very much unlike her usual self. She glanced up at him with moisture starting to coat her eyes.

"Are you Kaidoh?" Kirihara snapped his head back. He cautiously lifted his finger to point it to her head.

"Are you running a fever or something?" Shinku dropped the racquet and wrapped her arms around the boy, driving her head into his chest. His face turned completely white, then red. What on earth was she doing? Sanada would surely kill him a thousand times over if he were-

"Kirihara!"

Speak of the Devil-er Emporer.

Sanada loomed behind the Ace, glaring daggers all over his shivering being. A low tone started to hum in his throat, and before Kirihara could push the girl off, Sanada had him by the scruff of his shirt, bringing them face-to-face.

"What do you think you are doing? Are you asking for punishment?" Sanada brought his hand up to slap Akaya, but was halted with Shinku's furious scream.

"Stop!" They both turned to her in shock. She was trembling—how could she not? She was frustrated; she didn't know who she was, or even this famous Kaidoh person. Tears started to pool in her eyes and before the Rikkai members could react to her ghastly display of emotion she had gone off running again, it was quite a marathon day for the girl.

…

Kaidoh was a little thrown off that it was noon and Shinku had not yet contacted him. They were having a small festival for the tennis players in their area; it was a great way to get everyone together for fun—and what else—tennis. Shinku surely wasn't ditching a truly wonderful festival dedicated to their sport—and him of course, because if the Tanaka twins were present she had to have been as well. He tugged at the ribbed neck of his tennis shirt, it was a beaming ivory top he wore for the occasion, but beyond its beauty it was terribly itchy. He really shouldn't be worried so much about the ordeal; in fact, it was hardly an ordeal. She was probably just having fun with her friends. Her other friends. Who weren't courting her. She was entitled to that, correct? He nodded to himself, a tiny bit of jealousy coating his cheeks. He shifted his tennis bag on his shoulder, redistributing its weight. He contemplated digging out his phone and calling her, but brought his hand to his head and slid his bandana off. He dabbed a bit of sweat that pooled at the nape of his neck and searched the crowd, hoping he'd find a head of hair as bright as his shirt.

…

She still didn't know where she was, but then again she didn't know anything at all, her disorientation pushed her legs further until something stopped her dead in her tracks. The moisture in her eyes had dried, but she was still panting pathetically. What caught her eye—and ear—sent a haunting vibration through her body from the tip of her hair to the ends of her toes.

She heard a faint hissing noise, but she was bemused to why it had such a profound effect on her. It was an ordinary "fshhhh" but so odd coming from the beacon of light in front of her.

He was so handsome: tall, well-defined, lightly bronzed skin. And he was wearing all white, like a storybook character. Her entire day was hardly real; it just had to be a dream or nightmare. She hoped that this… white knight would be her ending chapter; she couldn't bear to cry anymore. She just wanted a happy ending. He looked to fit the part for her tennis-themed fairytale.

But he was hissing.

Like a snake.

His muddled eyes met hers and lit up in masked elation, but squinted at her peculiar aura and rickety body. Her face searched him, and targeted his bag. Embroidered lettering spelled out "Kaidoh Kaoru" clearly, and brought a stream of tears to her eyes yet again. She didn't have any damn idea who he was, but with the kind of day she was having she hardly cared anymore.

He was wearing white after all.

She took off in a dead sprint to him, yelling, "Kaoru!"

Kaidoh was knocked back a half step. Even though they had been together for so long, he was not—and would never be—accustomed to his first name escaping her lips. He inwardly admitted that he enjoyed the sound of it, but in all of his innocent fantasizing he failed to see the low set metal bar that separated him and his mate. Before he could reach out his hand, Shinku had collided with the bar and fell backwards, only to be cradled by a much too late Mamushi.

…

She could hear her name being called by a handsome, but frantic voice. It knifed daggers into her head, and she prayed that the voice would be silenced, preferably with her age-old skillet. She made note to find a way to craftily carry around that utensil in her bag for the future. Still she was delighted by the voice, how sincere in emotion it was. But she snapped open her eyes as she realized whose voice it was, and immediately regretted it.

…

The afternoon sun melted her stupefied face, accenting the worst headache Shinku had ever experienced. She shut her eyes again and spoke hoarsely.

"What the hell?" When the throbbing subsided she opened her eyes again.

Kaidoh was inches from her face, studying her forehead with a humorously worried expression. She struggled not to smile. She glanced around and noticed that she had made quite a scene, but she was unsure of what. She sat up, swaying from her sluggish blood flow. She turned to her tennis mate and asked with a small disconcerted grin.

"What's with you, Kaidoh?" His face scrunched sourly at her sudden casual conduct. She had just been knock unconscious and had a nasty bruise materializing on her head after all of her bizarre shenanigans and she dared to have the nerve to make fun of him? He fell back off of her and slapped his palms into the grass beside him.

"What's with me?! What the hell is wrong with you? You apparently have been weird all day!" She hadn't the slightest idea what he was talking about, but he went on bellowing,

"Kajimoto tells me you almost let Atobe kiss you! And you called Kojiro, 'brother!'" She could have very well vomited, but was stunned by what she was hearing. She turned to see her tennis friends surrounding her, the same puzzled expression painting their faces as well. Youhei and Kouhei stepped beyond the group with a rueful lean in their backs.

"We apologize, Shinku." Kouhei fidgeted with his tight blue ponytail and motioned to his pink haired twin, "Brother hit you too hard in the head and gave you temporary amnesia." His sibling was quick to shove him off to the side.

"Idiot, it was your fault just as much as mine! That Duo Union was too off and hit her in the head when she was bringing Kajimoto his replacement racquet!" Shinku audibly gasped, so that's what had happened. Wait, she almost kissed the Monkey King? Oh, there would be thousands of questions to ask about the embarrassment she inflicted upon herself—but her worries were silenced when a thick set of arms snaked around her back and shoulders. Kaidoh took her in his arms and held her wordlessly. For now she could enjoy his distinct scent and strong embrace. She dug her face into his shirt.

She marveled at her white knight, or her angel, or whatever cliché white archetype was evident for their situation. Actually, she was beginning to get nauseated by their gushing display, and broke the tension by leaning her head away from Kaidoh.

"Your shirt is itchy."

…

Author's Note:

A little lengthy, but that's alright, I guess.

No.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed!


	32. The Real Pervert

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

These are some fun filler chapters taking place after Kaidoh and Shinku's little tennis match.

…

There had to be a hot springs chapter. If not hot springs, then something more Western like the beach or a public pool.

But they were going to the hot springs.

It was a combination of teams; it became rather enjoyable to retain a friendly disposition with those who were once their adversaries. In the springs would be a melting of Seishun, Jyousei, Rikkai Dai, and Hytoei. The hot springs owner was glad not to see the entirety of each team, there would have been nary any room left for anyone else. The hot springs owner was a nearsighted woman who was desperately pushing her years as a living being. Her wrinkled skin curled into a cheeky smile at the array of customers before her. She showed them the springs and pointed out the directions toward each gender's wing. After the sea of tennis players sewed their jaws back to their head they sat down for a quick cup of tea before they embarked on their hot spring adventure.

The overall mood was light and carefree, much looser than the everyday seriousness they were all accustomed to. Shinku was stuck between Wakato—much to her disdain—and Kaidoh, sipping her tea and trying not to let any drip through her nose at Ryoma and Atobe's antics. Wakato leaned back on the couch and let his long arms drape over the rim past both Shinku and Kaidoh. He leaned his uncapped head toward Viper and whispered—though still loud enough for the tennis dancer between them to hear,

"So Kaidoh, I hope you won't be trying to spy on the girls. I know it must be difficult what with a vulnerable Yuzani-chan being just on the other side." It took everything for him not to shove the decorative sword above them through his throat. Shinku, however, took initiative and thrust her elbow into his stomach. He lurched forward, earning a chop to his neck, just for good measure. He groaned and tendered to the back of his neck, ignoring the snickering coming from Fuji and Niou. He looked sideways at the girl, a mischievous grin budding in his lips.

"Relax, I was only joking. Besides," he leaned back and raised his voice to a degree that sent a small vibration through their tea. "I think _you_ are the pervert, Yuzani-chan." Shinku's face was scorched. What possible emotions could she summon at the moment: rage, embarrassment, shock, murder?

She settled for murder.

…

Wakato was on the other side of the room, being tended to—with a little too much pleasure across his face—by Sakuno and Tomoka. Kaidoh and Sanada had to keep their large hands bound over her head and shoulders to keep her pinned to the couch as not to go back for a second beating. Their fingers were almost singed by the heat rising from the girl.

"You want to say that again?!" They had gone over this the past twenty minutes, and neither Wakato nor Shinku would relinquish their roles.

"I'm just telling the truth, Shinku," his melodic tone to her name pissed her off even more, "I think you are the pervert." He flicked his hair and glanced to Tomoka and Sakuno beside him.

"All of you girls are perverts." Wakato was lucky that Tomoka and Sakuno didn't have the nerve to hit him.

"I don't blame you, having all these handsome men around you, what with there being only three of you and ten of us." That statement sent forward Atobe for a lurid display.

"Ore-sama understands. You poor ladies, forced to be separated from such attractive youth." He tucked back a bit of purple hair and fluttered his eyes at them. "Well we are all of age, and mature adults. Perhaps we could-" neither Shinku nor anyone else needed to rise to maul The Monkey King, because the elderly hot springs owner had already dead legged him with her cane. He promptly fell to his stomach, and found the woman standing on him, her staff incessantly thumping his ear.

"Don't be fresh, boy!"

Yukimura and Yagyuu dutifully apologized for their less than respectful display, earning a light blush from the decrepit woman. She wistfully sauntered away, muttering something along the lines of 'sweet boys.' They chuckled rigidly and waved her off, a sweat drop stuck to their skin. Fuji seemed least affected by everyone's spectacle, and laughed lightheartedly,

"Shall we change then?"

"Fuji-sempai, we're not all taking a bath together,"

"I never implied that we were, Ryoma," Fuji let his striking blue eyes unveil, denoting Ryoma's unconscious lechery. Their occhibi was quick to crimson; his father's wretched genes starting to overwhelm him.

…

Now Shinku had brought it upon herself. She was the one who chose to wear looser clothing in the presence of the old, nearsighted maid. She was the one to posses a masculine body and voice. She had not anticipated that the hot spring's owner would confuse her for the opposite gender, thus resulting in her current state.

She was naked.

With only her small towel to cover her.

In the boy's section of the hot spring.

…

She had been the first one to leave to get changed for the hot springs, and she was in stride towards the girl's division, and who else but the springs owner to grab her elbow and lead her away—all while hitting her with her cane—to the boy's end.

"Pervert! Boys not allowed!" Shinku stuttered and tried to explain, but before she knew it she was pushed through the sliding door, and was knocked forwards by the sound of it slamming behind her. Luckily she was the only one present in the springs, but she could feel the heat wash throughout her body when she could hear the voices of Yukimura and Sanada behind her. Though Shinku was innately gifted with common sense, it altogether vanished as terror pumped through her limbs. She took a large step in the springs with her towel still wrapped around her and shuffled behind a large rock. She propped herself on a stone that was partially submerged, but exposed enough so Shinku did not prune if she had to outwait the boys. She folded herself tighter as the rest of the boys started to pour out. Her entire head flushed, as she fully comprehended the situation that she was in.

…

"Yukimura, how were you able to get us entry into these hot springs?" Sanada removed his towel and dipped into the coax of the water.

"An old friend. I thought it would be a nice relaxing gift for everyone. I'm just sorry we couldn't have more people join us."

"I did ask Kojiro if he wanted to join, but he never answered me." Fuji crossed over to lean on a mossy stone.

"Ore-sama would prefer that the springs were not entirely condensed with other men." Atobe stood mostly out of the water, so he could marvel his own reflection.

"Atobe, why are you even here—without Kabaji no less? You could afford your own private hot spring."

"Not to mention you're the only Hyotei member to join us."

"Is Ore-sama not allowed to enjoy the company of you vagrants? As well, Ore-sama asked Jiro if he wanted to partake, but he refused to go unless Marui attended. Wakato, why didn't you invite some of your entourage to attend?" Wakato smiled initially, but frowned at the Monkey King's lewd insinuations.

"Atobe, you're not honestly thinking about peeking over on the girl's side, are you?"

"Ore-sama does not have to stoop so low as to spy on beautiful women, they present themselves to Ore-sama." Niou rolled his eyes at Atobe, but set his sight on someone else as he entered the water.

"Shit, Snake. Does your girl know you've been hiding this from her?" All the color drained from Shinku's body, but a warm feeling covered her nose.

"Niou, you're being boorish." The Gentleman readjusted his fogging glasses.

"It's a compliment, it's not like they can hear us."

"I'm certain they can, actually." Wakato smirked at Yagyuu's insistence and proceeded to raise his voice yet again.

"Oi, Kajimoto. What a dancer's body you have! Now I know why Shinku goes to you for ballet advice."

"Shut up, Wakato." Niou snickered at Wakato's troublemaking.

"Well it seems that your funny hair color is truly natural, Wakato."

"The same can be said to you, Niou."

"Mada Mada Dane."

"Brat, you still have the frame of a child's, as opposed to Ore-sama." Atobe motioned suggestively toward the boy.

"Monkey King, your brain is as small as-"

"This conversation needs to stop, immediately." Sanada and Yagyuu both had their arms crossed in a disapproving manner. The Emperor and The Gentleman shook their heads somberly at their loutish behavior, but Yukimura next to them could not hold in a bubbling of giggles.

"You two should lighten up a bit. And Sanada, why are you still wearing your hat? We're at a hot springs, take it off. And Yagyuu, your glasses are fogging up." Yagyuu smeared his glasses like a windshield wiper before re-crossing his arms.

"Is something wrong, Fuji?" The tennis boys turned towards him, put off by his expression. He was concentrated as if he were participating in an especially competitive tennis match. They lined up their vision with his,

"It appears the customers before us were not so virtuous." Shinku's eyes snapped wide open as she bore into the land before her. She was facing the wall that separated the two sides; she noticed the exceedingly large hole that revealed a clear line of vision into the girl's section of the bath.

And she could see the back of Tomoka and Sakuno's head and shoulders quite vividly behind a curtain of leaves.

…

"Tomoka-chan I'm worried about Yuzani-chan. Do you think she got s-sick and couldn't come out?"

"I didn't see her in the changing room. I'm not sure where she is."

"Should we go look for her?"

"We'll give her a little while longer. For now, lets just enjoy this bath!" Tomoka squealed and stretched her arms above her head before collapsing neck deep in the water. Sakuno sunk a bit lower, then held her slack fist to her chin.

"Ano… What do you suppose Wakato-sempai meant that we were…" she could not even bring herself to say it. Tomoka slapped the water with her hands.

"Wakato was just being mean to us, we're not perverts! He's the one who has a whole army of girls constantly on his arm!"

"But Tomoka-chan, we're part of the Ryoma fan club. Aren't we one of those girls?" Tomoka's face burnt up.

"Well it's not like we follow him everywhere and try to spy on him doing private things!" She motioned towards the guys' side and was ready to continue her scolding, but stopped short when she saw a large hole the length of her forearm in the wall, mostly shielded by brush. She flexed her thin fingers.

"See, perverts. All of them!" Her temper stretched and snapped as she saw a figure sitting on the other side, apparently staring at them.

"Come one, Sakuno. We're going to tell them off!" She took her friend's arm and began to drag her to the hole, undeterred by the static figure. But as they got closer, both of their eyes tore ripped open in horror.

There they saw Shinku, absolutely petrified on her rock. But that was only the half of it.

All of the males were gathered behind the rock, staring back at them.

…

"Oi, see. You guys are the perverts," Wakato crossed his arms and clicked his tongue at them after they ceased shrieking.

"No we're not! We came, because of this tear in the wall! Besides, you were spying on us!"

"On the contrary, we were here to inspect the damage to the wall as well," Yagyuu stated with his palm up around his eyes. It took everyone else a little while longer to realize their predicament, but once they did, they all ducked into the water so only their faces were exposed. Kajimoto raised a cinnamon eyebrow at the girls, with there only being two of them.

"Where is Shinku?" Shinku's heart stopped, her face paler than it had ever been before, her shivering yellow eyes pleaded to Tomoka and Sakuno. She prayed that none of the boys swam closer past the rock—which would have surely given her away.

"Um, she went to the old hag to complain about the broken wall!" Tomoka stammered, but ultimately convinced the boys of her whereabouts. The boys glanced at each other, accepting her explanation. Yukimura turned his frail back to the girls and made way for their towels. He spoke with a tone that depicted immense remorse.

"We should probably go a get dressed, I am terribly sorry for these unfortunate events. " The girl's nervously waved them off, claiming no harm to the situation, and everything would have been completely fine after that. Shinku could have wiggled through the wall, or escaped down the hall when all of the boys left, but of course Wakato had to go and mess it all up.

"Such a shame Yuzani couldn't be there to see us; she is after all the most lecherous of the girls." Shinku clutched the semi-transparent towel around her and stood on the rock.

"Say that again, you bastard!" Fuji whipped his head to the girl. Luckily he was nearest to her, with all of the other boys far ahead. He clutched her towel and forced her down behind the rock into the water before any of the boys could see her fuming naked figure. He sent a quick knowing glance to Sakuno and Tomoka, who began to slap the water and head for the girl's entrance yelling,

"Oi Shinku! He didn't mean it. Go back inside, go back inside!" The boys raised their eyebrow in unison, confusion coloring all of them.

"Fuji what was that splash?" Niou raised his head slightly to see a tuft of white hair. Fuji waved him off, pushing Shinku's head under the water simultaneously.

"Oh nothing, Niou. Kojiro just decided to join us, but he wants to stay in the water. He's had a really rough practice week."

"Funny, I didn't even hear him come in," they shrugged it off and went on retreating the bath. Fuji allowed Shinku's head to resurface, only to find her nose had been dripping blood.

"Did you hit your nose?" She nodded half-heartedly, though she was blatantly lying to Fuji. He could see past her charade and allowed a lewd grin to materialize.

"How long have you been behind that rock?" She didn't answer; she thought it would have been entirely obvious. He gave her his famous smile and head tilt, but took hold of her bare arm and lowered his head in front of hers. His saturated blue eyes engulfed her as he whispered,

"You owe me," he bent in to her ear, "Pervert." Tremors rumbled all down her spine as she watched him depart, but she quickly shook the terror off of her and maneuvered through the opening—tearing off even more wall to fit through—toward Sakuno and Tomoka.

"Shinku, what on earth were you doing in their wing?!" Shinku's brick red face proceeded to explain the entire misunderstanding, earning stifled laughs and blushes from her two friends. Tomoka playfully poked the space between her eyes,

"Shinku, your nose is bleeding."

Sakuno gasped, "Y-you didn't see anything did you?!"

"I didn't have to, I heard everything." Her face resembled that of a tomato, reluctant to explain any further. She wiped the blood from her nose and exited the bath. She refused to ever acknowledge what happened that night. Sakuno and Tomoka followed her, smothered chirps catching their breath.

…

The boys were changing, a bit of red tingeing each of their cheeks. Fuji pulled his shirt over his head and turned to Kaidoh.

"Mamushi, it is a shame that Shinku wasn't on the other side, isn't it?" Kaidoh hissed, a combination of puzzlement and agitation. Fuji chuckled, continuing

"She doesn't go out into the sun that often." Well of course Shinku was unnaturally pale, everyone knew that. "I mean she doesn't happen to have any tan lines, does she?" Kaidoh still was not following his old teammate.

"Her skin could use a little lotion." Kaidoh's foggy green eyes narrowed at him, silently ordering him to explain himself. Fuji merely cocked is his head in a coy manner and held his towel out in front of him.

"Say, when these towels are wet, they don't leave much to the imagination, do they?" Kaidoh bit back a growl and curled his fists,

That damned sadist.

…

About a week passed and a few of the teams decided to all go out for a bite at a local diner, a few players the hot spring debacle showed only to tease the girls, but everyone was more taken back when they were joined by Kojiro. Niou leaned in and asked his fellow silver-haired tennis player,

"Kojiro, why didn't you come out behind those rocks to hang with us in the springs?" Kojiro slanted his head and pushed his eyebrows down. Shinku chocked on her water as he spoke once again.

"I never went to the springs."

…

_**Author's Note:**_

Oh, trust me,

Shinku's debt to Fuji appears in later chapters.

Just you wait...


	33. Kaidoh Proposed to a Cat

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

These are some fun filler chapters taking place after Kaidoh and Shinku's little tennis match.

…

It was a beautiful Saturday morning: the bird's chirping was pitched perfectly, the flowers were effortlessly in bloom, and nary a cloud threatened the sky. It was altogether cliché; surely no day could be so flawless. Whether it be a bee sting, a trip over a rock, something that would mar its perfection—he would have even settled for being run over by a bike (again.) The lack of any sort of blemish in his morning felt out of place; was there a full moon today? Had some object that unconsciously stuck to him cursed him? Surely something supernatural was playing tricks on him. The thought of ghosts swimming through his body sent a sick shiver down his reptilian spine.

Was Shinku toying him? Had he done something wrong to inflict this kind of anticipated horror upon himself? In Kaidoh's head he could see his cotton-haired mate in her usual attire, but quickly devolved into a hideous ghoul with green slime dripping out of her mouth past her extended teeth. He swatted the thought cloud away and checked his phone for messages.

She had not sent him any.

An eerie background tune began playing in Viper's head, his eyes twitched around suspiciously. If any ghost were to sneak up on him he would no doubt-

"-Meow." Kaidoh dove five yards forwards and tumbled onto his back only to come face to face with his attacker.

Well, it was a cat, a very small one at that, like a kitten.

It jumped from its perch on the fence and tiptoed over to Kaidoh. It had no collar, but rubbed up against Kaidoh's scraped arm lovingly as if it were his owner. It stood on its hind legs and playfully pawed at Kaidoh's cheek. The fact that a stray cat was trying to interact with him did not imprint the stupefied expression on Kaidoh's face; it was rather the cat's appearance.

It had gleaming white fur

And murky golden eyes.

Maybe…

No no no no, surely he was not insinuating that the cat was Shinku? It had white fur and golden eyes, but many cats carried those attributes. This cat was not special by any means.

But when he went to pet it, the cat kept herding his hand towards its head, only allowing a light ruffle.

Shinku sort of did that, despite their seldom touching, she seemed to prefer the classic hair tousle since it was their first encounter of physical contact back at her cabin. As well when he gave its tail a light tug he was rewarded with a shallow set of claw marks on his arm. Well it certainly had the temperament of Shinku. He lifted the leg of the cat to ensure that it was a female, and was presented again with a clawing across his hand. He blushed faintly, realizing the minor violation against the cat—possibly Shinku. Quietly, he leaned his head and whispered to the cat,

"Shinku?" The cat happily waddled up to Viper's face and nudged his forehead with her own. The pink across his cheeks encircled around his ears at just how sweet the cat—possibly Shinku—could be. Something sparked in his mind, though, and he straightened up at the cat.

"How are we going to change you back?"

Granted the cat was endearing, but Kaidoh didn't think dating a kitten would entirely work out. The cat—assumedly Shinku—mewed and balanced on Kaidoh's quadriceps. She hopped up on Kaidoh's broad shoulders and draped around him like a scarf. Kaidoh grinned and unwrapped his makeshift shawl and cradled her in his arms. She snuggled warmly into his embrace. He stood and slowly continued walking toward his desired destination; he was planning on going to his training site, but altered his route to lead him to the courts. If he knew his team at all—and he indeed did—then Inui and several of the retired Regulars would be at the courts practicing or just playing recreationally.

He was delighted to find that he was right as he entered the courts upon Inui lecturing Ryoma, Momo, and Eiji. As expected, Sakuno and Tomoka were dutifully standing on the sidelines, although they had their racquets unsheathed for lessons of their own. Inui lifted his head and waved towards his reptilian friend.

"What is it Kaidoh, you look troubled?"

"Inui-senpai, did not you give Shinku a weird drink on Friday?" Inui raised a single eyebrow at what Kaidoh was leading to.

"Yes, she tried a new concoction I had made."

"Did you give it to anyone else?"

"No, I threw it out and started anew when I heard that she was up all night with stomach trouble." His eyes paled.

Shinku was sick last night?! How was he of all people not notified of this?!

"I never got a call from her about that. How could she tell you and not me?"

"Actually I received a call from the Tanakas. They had to take her home after she got sick getting off the train. I assume they didn't want to worry you." Kaidoh unfortunately refused to believe that the twins were capable of such care. Inui snapped Kaidoh from his boiling temper and noted,

"Try calling her home or cell to see if she feeling better." Kaidoh mentally slapped himself at note thinking of something so obvious. He was dismayed however when she did not pick up on both occasions. He brought a determined look on his face and held out his hand for Inui's phone to redial the twins. After four rings they answered, oddly in harmony. Did they share a phone?

"Youhei and Kouhei Tanaka."

"Fsshhh, is Shinku with you?"

"Oi, that must be her snake friend," Youhei quietly muttered to his brother—though still explicitly clear over the phone, "No, we actually went to visit her, but she wasn't home. We tried calling, but that didn't work either." Kaidoh thanked them and handed the phone back to his senpai. His head slowly clicked down to the fussy cat entangled in his arms. Could that drink have turned her into a cat? Did Inui possess those kinds of dark magic abilities? The cat stared back up him and mewed. He gave her a zombie-like pat on the head and retreated from his old teammates, rather dejected.

"Mamushi, what's wrong? She could be out shopping with her phone off or something. Don't worry about it." Kaidoh continued to slither away with the cat in his arms. Eiji ran out in front of him to block his path, holding out his hand at the Viper.

"Tell us what the matter." Kaidoh held the cat out in front of him with his head slumped down at his feet. Eiji leaned his nose to the cat, and received a light bump on the forehead. He smiled.

"Cute, she looks like Shinku! Did you want to show her?" Kaidoh robotically shook his head and stared at the cat. A small wave of heat washed over his face at what he was about to assume.

"I think…This is…" Eiji took in a sharp breath and held his fist to his mouth. He snatched the cat from Kaidoh's unwilling fingers and held it nose-to-nose. He lowered the cat to his chest and whispered to Inui with terror across his eyes.

"Inui, could you have made a magic vegetable drink?"

"Well I did get a new ingredient, and I wanted to try it on her." Inui held up an unmarked bag full of strange smelling powder. Kaidoh took back the cat and stomped his foot at the bespectacled Doc.

"You get an ingredient that you don't even know what it is and you just give it to her?!"

"Oi, and it's a full moon tonight. Inui, were you trying to dabble in dark magic?" Eiji suspiciously poked at his friend's chest. Inui felt sweat drip down his face.

"Of course not, this is all a misunderstanding. Besides, if this were Shinku, she would have had to walk all the way here from Jyousei."

"She could have hopped the train behind someone."

"Mada Mada Dane, Yuzani-senpai." Ryoma took the cat and held it out in front of him, only to be graced with it crawling on his arm up to his head, where she dutifully lay and tapped Ryoma's face. Sakuno laughed removed the feline to cradle in her own arms. She turned to Viper,

"Kaidoh-senpai, are you going to keep her if she doesn't change back?" Kaidoh widened his eyes and looked down. He couldn't really keep her, what would her mother say? If anything he would have to bring her back to Jyousei where Youhei and Kouhei could keep watch over her. He was repulsed by the idea, but really had no other choice.

"I think I'll just take her back to her home," he stated glumly. He took back the Shinku cat and puttered in the direction of the train station. His teammates watched him as he staggered away.

"Poor Mamushi, dating a cat. Inui, you're not thinking about using the rest of that powder are you?"

"I already put it in the new drinks you took."

They fell to the ground.

…

Kaidoh was idling towards her house; he didn't really want to relinquish his hold on her. He looked at the cat that looked so stupidly back at him: she was so happy. How could she be so happy as an animal? Maybe he was just being selfish; if she wanted to be a cat, could he really deny her that?

But she was a cat, a cat! She would never be able to play tennis, or date him, and they could never get married-

Wait a minute.

Kaidoh's body tensed. Was he sincerely considering marital status with her?

No, it was far too soon for that, they were both still technically just kids. Out of the question. She would never agree to it in a million years anyway. Shinku would most certainly say no to him, wouldn't she? Their relationship was far too young to be serious enough for even the idea of matrimony. He shook off the idea and watched the cat.

Well if marriage was impossible, then where was their relationship going?

What was he thinking? Matrimony did not have to be considered right at that moment! Why could he possibly be so worried about such a momentous thing as marriage when they were still in high school? Besides, there was still a possibility that the curse was not permanent. Maybe they could continue dating and eventually…

He brought the cat to his face and said asked it, "Will you marry me?" The cat mewed and pressed her paw to his cheek.

"Oi, Kaidoh, cheating on Shinku I see?" He flinched, which caused the cat to bestow yet another scratch to Kaidoh's skin. The cat jumped down and crept onto the post behind—whom else—the Tanaka twins. They were patiently sitting in front of Shinku's house with their hands in their pockets. Kaidoh wrinkled his nose.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hey, don't get angry with us. We're here in case she comes home. We wanted to make sure she's okay."

"So you don't even know where she went?" They shook their heads then turned their attention to the cat.

"Did you get her a gift?"

"No, this is Sh-"

"-What the hell are all of you doing in front of my house?" They turned their attention to the dangerously annoyed voice.

"Sh-shinku! We just wanted to make sure you were all right! Why is your phone off?" Youhei trotted over and lightly placed his hand on her head. Kaidoh crossed his arms and could feel a vein rise in his temple. Shinku gently took Youhei's hands off of her, a light blush on her cheeks. But the blush was not from embarrassment; she still looked a bit ill, and slumped over weakly.

"Mother is a fan of alternative treatment." She shivered feverishly, a bit frightened. "Ugh, leeches, acupuncture, everything," she brought her eyes to him, large as saucers, her fingers twitching erratically.

Kaidoh just stared at the girl, so he just proposed to a stray cat? And Shinku was not the victim of Inui's dark magic? He was unsure what emotions he should have been portraying, but was startled when Shinku shoved a quivering finger into his chest.

"Why are you here, I told Youhei and Kouhei not to tell you I was sick?"

"But it's fine for Inui to know?" Shinku seemed surprised that the Twins called anyone at all. Kouhei came to their defense.

"Well it was Glasses's fault." Youhei aimed a glare toward Kaidoh.

"We stayed with her most of the night to ensure she was fine," his tone was almost smug, trying to ignite a jealous hiss from Viper. Kaidoh extended his neck at the twins and clamped his fingers into fists. Both sides were taken back when Shinku walked in between them with her hands outspread and slapped all three of them in one swift movement.

"All of you shut it. My mother is returning to her shift, so I'm going back to bed and try to forget about this morning."

Before she could oppose, he lifted her in his arms and cradled her like he did the cat. He stood for a moment, studying her face. Her sickly blush was a bit cute—in a revolting way—though it made her look vulnerable, which was scarce for her. An almost unnoticeable smile tugged at Kaidoh's mouth. He leaned down a placed a lengthy brush of his lips in the curve of her jaw. He could feel her face heat up against his, and was somehow able to get her front door open while still keeping her in his arms. He carried her through the threshold and lightly squeezed her shoulder.

There had been another name for the way he was carrying her wasn't there?

He grinned as he climbed the stairs to her room.

Bridal Style.

…

"Brother, I do believe that we have been ditched." Kouhei nodded his head and looked at the window that led into Shinku's room.

"What should we do?" Kouhei took the ivory cat, marveling its likeness to their vanilla-haired friend.

Youhei pursed his lips in a thin line and leered into the window.

"If he doesn't leave within ten minutes, we're breaking in."

…

_**Author's Note:**_

Hope this isn't too OOC in Kaidoh's account. I do love his subtle rivalry with the twins though.

Hope you like!


	34. Shinku, Language Part 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

These are some fun filler chapters taking place after Kaidoh and Shinku's little tennis match.

…

_**This is a two part chapter. Remember when Fuji said Shinku owed him? Well, now it comes into play!**_

...

"Shinku, you haven't met Shitenhoji have you?" Fuji peered down at the girl. She had met almost every other team the Seigaku crew came in contact during middle school, except for Shitenhoji. She heard several stories, such as Momo and Kaidoh's battle with the overzealous Baka Couple and Fuji's loss to Shiraishi. She was also informed of their Ryoma clone gone wrong, and the foul-mouthed Zaizen.

"No Fuji-senpai, why do you ask?" For a split second he opened his penetrating eyes, sending an azure spark through her.

"Remember, you owe me."

"And what does this have to do with Shitenhoji?"

"Well you see I'm rather bored-"

"-Fuji that's cruel, can't I just buy you a cactus instead?"

"No, you promised."

"Dammit, Fuji."

"Shinku, language." Shinku's eyebrows twitched at her senpai. She hadn't even heard what he wanted her to do, and she was already peeved.

"Now, Shitenhoji is notorious for their humor. I think you would like to meet them." His voice was very persuasive, but sardonic at the same time. Shinku was not a big fan of comedies. Sure the antics of her tennis friends could be entertaining, but she did not often fall for dry jokes such as Amane's puns. She sighed heavily.

"What do you want me to do?"

"You're going to prank them."

"Why the hell-"

"Shinku, language."

"Why do you want me to prank them?"

"I just told you, I'm rather bored."

"Fuji, I will buy you ten cactus pla-"

"No, this will be far more rewarding." His smile sickened her, but even she knew she couldn't escape the pull of Seigaku's Tensai. She shifted her eyes to her right and agreed through grinding teeth.

…

Fuji was the worst, the absolute worst. Shinku was sure he was ten times as devilish as Jin or Kirihara.

Seigaku had thought it would be a good idea to get some recreational matches in with Shitenhoji. Kintaro was eager to battle his rival, Echizen yet again; as well Gin and Kawamura were happy to have another screening of their monstrous strength. Fuji ultimately dragged Shinku—rather 'Yuzani-kun'—to play against the Baka Duo. Since they both were not as easily distracted as Kaidoh and Momo, they would probably fair better in the match. But Fuji didn't just want to win the match; he wanted to humiliate Shinku. The vanilla-haired girl almost considered confessing the hot springs incident, but she was already too deep now.

So there next to her fellow "Retired Regulars" was Yuzani-kun. All dressed up, oddly, in street clothes. Mannish street clothes. She had taped down her chest yet again, and wore a dark blue shirt with some sort of sports logo on it. She wore loose fitting jeans that her mother often wore for painting and housework. She had borrowed Kaidoh's black jacket to wear—though it was a couple sizes too large—and wore a cap over her cropped hair. She kept her eyes down and away from the other team.

Fuji had instructed her that she was not the arrogant Yuzani-kun when she faced Kirihara; this time instead she was to be meek and indecisive, she was also demanded to refer to him as "brother." Damn, he just loved to test her temper. He wasn't finished however, no the fun would only begin when they actually started their match.

Until then, they stood side by side, with Kaidoh leering over her left to what Fuji was planning. Youhei and Kouhei actually decided to attend her match, for they heard from Fuji himself that it was sure to be amusing.

…

Gin and Kawamura were first up to battle, Fuji playfully turned to his 'little brother' and whispered,

"No going back now, Yuzani-kun."

"You damned-"

"Shinku, language." Her face burned, she waved her arms at him.

"Quiet, don't say my name! Do you want this whole plan to be ruined?" Fuji straightened up and locked his elbow around her head, knuckling her head playfully.

"Aw, Yuzani-kun. Don't be frightened, of course Shitenhoji will like you!" His voice was unnecessarily loud, which brought an even deeper red to Shinku's face. She pushed the tensai away from her and debated on whether or not to stomp on his foot. She eventually decided against it, and was greeted by Kintaro's garish hair.

"So you are Tsunami-kun?" Classic Kintaro. With a quick sideways glare from Fuji she jumped into her facade.

"A-ano, Yuzani… Who are you?" She lowered her head so most of her cap faced Tooyama. The Regulars around her quietly lifted their eyebrows; she must have studied Sakuno, for she was remarkably skilled at portraying a timid personality. The red-haired fireball grinned and answered,

"Tooyama Kintaro! Nice to-" he proceeded to lift her cap so he could see her face, but Fuji had instructed her that they were not to see her eyes or hair until the match. She roughly pulled the cap back over and hid slightly behind Fuji, much to Kintaro's chagrin. Fuji held up his hand and smiled,

"Don't worry about him, he's just shy." Kintaro nodded and gave Shinku a hard slap on the back.

"Don't be shy Tsunami-kun, I think we can be great friends!" Shinku was still coughing from the gruff back pat, but nodded weakly. When Kintaro left to go taunt Ryoma, she scowled at Fuji, stepping hard on his foot. He leaned down to her ear,

"Shinku, language."

"I didn't even say anything, you bastar-"

"Language." Shinku's patience was wearing thin.

…

Zaizen glanced over at the boy standing between Fuji and Kaidoh. It was odd how both of them reacted to the shorter tennis player. Kaidoh kept close watch over him with soft eyes. But nothing about the Snake was soft was it? How could he be so indulgent to that one certain teammate? Fuji kept touching him playfully, smiling as he always did when he was toying with his teammates. But this time he was up to something darker, he could sense something off about the way the entire team was treating the boy. The boy bothered him; his earrings glimmered in irritation as he saw how bored he looked. He was not the least bit interested at the humor that personified Shitenhoji, save for several exceptions where he tittered bashfully at Shiraishi's failed joke attempts.

Also he…just didn't look right. The logical spaces in his mind could not piece together the boy. Seigaku said that he was a soft-spoken player that was gifted in using momentum against his opponents. That much he could believe, since he was not as cut as his superiors. But as for timid, he could have sworn that when Yuzani turned his head to Fuji he could detect a hint of…

Aggravation? He only seemed to act timid whenever one of his teammates would try to interact with him, other than that his body language showed him to be frustrated, on edge even. During once of Yuzani's glances to Fuji, the wind picked up and shifted the cap to reveal a glint of yellow. His dark ochre eyes met Zaizen's brieftly, a wave of anger then apprehension washing over them before being shielded by the cap again. He sneered at the boy's nonsensical actions. His eyes were narrow, but accented with long feminine lashes. He looked weak, and his eyes proved it. It was a waste of time for him to even wake up to watch his teammates play the Seishun.

Still something about his eyes made him uneasy. No, not uneasy, that was for the feeble. He was more… hesitant so to say at what Seigaku had told them. They were not being entirely truthful to what this Yuzani character was, he could tell. It was all just illogical.

…

It was time. Time for Fuji and Shinku's match against the Baka Duo. As expected, they bounced out holding hands and making quite a gaudy scene. They were ready to perform their theatrics, but found disappointment when they realized that Fuji and his partner were not present. They comically searched around the courts wearing their wigs and eye masks before settling on their own side of the court. They shrugged before asking Kaidoh about their whereabouts.

"Oi, Kaoru-kun! Where have they gone?"

"Idiot, why are you still in character?"

"Kaoru-kun!" Kaidoh kicked back one of the duo, though he was unsure how he morphed through the fence. He was answered by a too giddy Fuji encroaching upon the court.

"Sorry we're late, we were getting changed."

And now the real humiliation for Shinku had begun.

Since Shitenhoji's first impression of her was that she was a male in raggedy street clothes, they were deadpan at her tennis outfit.

Costume, was more like it. She and Fuji were dressed like a renaissance pair, but it was the cheap version of costumes often reserved for couples that were attending some party where it was customary to wear publicly indecent clothing. Fuji donned a pair of charcoal tights with a sleeveless, tunic that covered less than it should have. Shinku on the other hand faired much worse. She wore a nearly sheer undercoat with off-the-shoulder sleeves that bubbled at the cuff. She had a black bodice that was laxly tied to maintain her flat-chested image, and a pleated skirt that looked more like a girl's school uniform than a gown. To make things worse, little lacy bows were placed just about everywhere on the outfit.

Kaidoh's face turned completely blue, then red, then green, just about every shade in the visible spectrum. Her legs were so exposed in the skirt, he was unsure if he should be attracted, or repulsed by her outlandish ensemble. Her legs were so muscular—which played into her favor in masking herself as a male—and so gleamingly pale. He could feel his face beginning to rise in temperature, but was interrupted when he heard the Tanaka twins explode with laughter.

Shinku wanted to immediately murder both of her Jyousei friends, but instead whimpered through grinding teeth at her water shoes,

"Onii-sama, Youhei and Kouhei are being mean to us." This little display only brought heartier cackles from the twins. The Regular's eyes widened when Shinku referred to Fuji as her older brother, stifling numerous giggles themselves.

The Baka Duo in front of them stood dumbfounded at the scene they were making, how dare they steal their spot light!

Yet they were speechless by the boy in front of them. Disregarding costume, he overall had dry, papery skin, as pale as a ghost. His hair was so fair that it almost blended with his skin. He had dark saffron eyes that drooped shyly in reaction to their staring. His body, although rigid and muscular, could curve into a surprisingly attractive shape.

He was so… feminine, how were they to react?! Shinku leaned back with the back of her palm resting above her eye. She sighed dramatically,

"Onii-sama, everyone is staring at us!" Fuji supported her at looked at her through his closed eyes,

"Onii-sama is here, Yuzani-kun. Don't be scared." He squished Shinku's fuming face in his hands, then began stretching out her cheeks and mouth while her color burned many hues of threatening reds. He stood suddenly, and slapped his hands on her bare shoulders, shaking her vigorously, "let us do out best, Yuzani-kun!" Shinku stumbled to her end of the court and readied herself, letting her legs shake.

…

**Author's Note:**

Part one done.

Trust me, part two is where the party is.


	35. Shinku, Language Part II

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

These are some fun filler chapters taking place after Kaidoh and Shinku's little tennis match.

…

_**This is a two part chapter. Remember when Fuji said Shinku owed him? Well, now it comes into play!**_

...

_"Onii-sama, everyone is staring at us!" Fuji supported her at looked at her through his closed eyes,_

_"Onii-sama is here, Yuzani-kun. Don't be scared." He squished Shinku's fuming face in his hands, then began stretching out her cheeks and mouth while her color burned many hues of threatening reds. He stood suddenly, and slapped his hands on her bare shoulders, shaking her vigorously, "let us do out best, Yuzani-kun!" Shinku stumbled to her end of the court and readied herself, letting her legs shake._

…

Shinku allowed several shots past her, forcing Fuji to pick up most of her slack. They permitted a few points against them, prompting the tensai of Shitenhoji to spout off information about Fuji to intimate the two. They did not have much on Shinku, and resorted to immediate assumptions,

"Fuji Yuzani, adequate cross dresser. 164 centimeters, 59 kilograms. Sexual Orientation: unknown." Shinku's eyebrow twitched at Koharu's blatant, but mostly accurate depiction of her height and weight. She turned her head to leer at Fuji behind her, to which he replied with a seemingly unchanging smile, thereby permitting her to play seriously. She cracked her neck and knuckles, but caught her audacious action and let her knees clack together. Koharu sent a shot her way that was meant to go past her ear, but Shinku tucked slightly into her knees and yelled,

"Onii-sama, they're going to hit me!" Fuji let his smile fade and called gallantly to her from the other end of the court,

"Yuzani-kun I can't reach you!" Shinku grinned and let herself lean all the way back until her leg was perpendicular to the ground. When the ball was close enough she snapped back up and returned it elegantly. As she rose she caught the duo off guard by smiling and laughing sweetly.

"I did it!" Beautiful fields of sunflowers and twinkles of light seemed to surround her in the Baka Duo's twisted fantasy. She borrowed Eiji's signature pose holding the victory sign before blushing madly. She lowered her head and smoothed her shifted skirt.

"Onii-sama, I think they saw," she turned her head and gasped loudly. Fuji could predict what she was going at, and held in a feverish laugh. He crinkled his brow at the girl.

"What did they see, Yuzani-kun?" Shinku choked a fake sob and pulled the skirt up to her chest.

"My undergarments!" Under her skirt was a ludicrously large pair of rose bloomers that reached just above the hemline of her skirt. Kouhei and Youhei fell off the bench and clutched each other in harmonious laughter. Kaidoh turned blue and slammed his hand to his face. He peeked behind his fingers to see Fuji stalking up behind the girl. He lowered his fingers, for Shinku did not realize that Fuji was sneaking up on her with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Oh Yuzani-kun, don't be silly," he clutched onto the hem of her bloomers, "these are your real undergarments!" He began to tug her undies down to her knees, but not before Shinku swatted him off and pulled them back up. She thanked the heavens that she wore another set of underwear under the large knickers. But still, they were a pair of boy shorts that would have revealed her lack of… endowment.

Kaidoh's face turned positively red. There was no word in the entire Japanese language that could sum up the embarrassment that he felt for witnessing Shinku in such a degraded state. Not to mention that despite her best efforts, her underwear had still been exposed for both teams to see.

Zaizen's eyebrow convulsed at the preposterous happenings before him. He already despised the humor of Shitenhoji, but Yuzani and Fuji were almost twice as absurd as his teammates.

But something was bothering him. When Fuji nearly disrobed the boy, they all got a semi-clear view of the skin underneath. It was blatantly obvious that Yuzani was missing a certain… something that the rest of them had. Not to mention he had a peculiar choice in underclothing. Everything about the boy was entirely asinine. Nothing made sense. Maybe he was just explicitly small? Even then, he didn't know a boy on earth that could stretch his leg like that.

…

Shinku dug her water shoe into the court while the Baka Duo was trying to extract laughter from the two. Fuji was doing most of the rallying—for he wanted Shinku to become a target by her just standing there timidly, thus she could unleash her frighteningly beautiful dance tennis upon them to render them speechless. They returned with a lob to the side of Shinku. She smirked in synch with Fuji.

Her arabesque spin.

It was a light lob instead of Kirihara's smash, so she threw her entire body weight into the shot to maximize its speed, emitting a ferocious grunt in return. It passed by the duo in a roaring _ponk_. They stood speechless at the boy; his style was so graceful it brought jesting tears to their eyes, though it angered them as well that their spotlight was being stolen. They clasped their hands together and squealed in attempted to get their pace back.

"Oh, Yuzani-kun, please join us! Be our little brother!"

"A-ano… I couldn't. It would disappoint onii-sama."

Fuji plastered a half-smile half-frown on his face. He was trying not to break character from Shinku's undignified persona, but at the same time he wanted to see Yuuji imitate her. Or rather, try to imitate her.

…

He received his wish whenever a fairly long rally was interrupted by Shinku's voice,

"Ano, I got it onii-sama." But Fuji was too clever to be tricked. He knew the voice was an imposter and ran closer to the net to return the shot, much to the duo's disdain. Yuuji tried to return it using Shinku's arabesque stance, but could not bring his leg to the correct position. It sent a spine tingling rip through his nether regions, prompting a theatrical fall to the ground. Fuji grinned.

Fuji had instructed that when they started to imitate her, she was to abandon her character and begin playing seriously. The Baka Duo shivered when they glanced back to the boy in the dress.

His eyes were flaring, the once shy yellow now a bold and dangerous gold. His tame cotton hair now sharpened over his forehead like shark's teeth. His faint paper skin now purple and rippling from the amount of muscle tension. He was absolutely terrifying. The sent to ball back over to their court, purposely sending fast and hard shots for Fuji to avoid the deranged looking snow-hair. Shinku however caught on to their idea early and made her move.

She started to her left, anticipating them to return to Fuji on the right. She was correct in her prediction and swiftly rotated her ankle to spring back right. Mid court she started a series of fouetté en tourants until she came in contact with the ball. Their strength was a least four times as powerful as Kirihara's, forcing every muscle from her neck to her Achilles to tighten against the attack. When she heard its melodious _ponk_ she arched her shoulders broodingly, a staid gleam directed towards Koharu and Yuugi.

"Oi, onii-sama. The game has begun." Fuji smiled and cocked his head.

"Hai, Yuzani-kun." He opened his radiant blue eyes, sending a shiver even through Shiraishi's spine.

That cold stare brought back a heap of memories, indeed.

…

Zaizen however furrowed his brow at the boy's sudden change in character. Kintaro looked up at his superior and tugged at his sleeve.

"What is it Hikaru-senpai?" Zaizen brusquely brushed off Tooyama.

"That cross-dresser from Seigaku doesn't make any sense," he turned to Chitose, "senpai you've picked up on it as well haven't you?" Chitose nodded, his dark hair fluttering against the wind.

"Look how he holds his legs when he plays." They obeyed.

"Can any of you bend like that?" They shook their heads.

"He has bandages around his chest." Shiraishi pointed whenever the cotton-haired boy would dip during an arabesque.

"Could it be coincidence?"

"It's the only rational explanation." Zaizen turned to Kinatro, "get his attention, but-" Zaizen leaned down to the boy to continue his order. Kintaro nodded and leaned against the gate.

"Eh, Tsunami-_chan_!" Shinku stopped dead in her tracks. Her poker face cracked a little bit, allowing stunned glance towards the boy clad in leopard print. Zaizen smirked. The rest of Seigaku and Jysouei gaped toward Shitenhoji. The rest of them joined in.

"Yuzani-_chan_, how'd you get your hair so light," teased Kenya.

"Yuzani-_chan_, don't make that scary face, it ruins your feminine charm," winked Shiraishi.

They continued with a few more jabs and jives, but only managed to receive nervous glares from the presumed girl. They could feel her temper rising, everyone could. With each jeer a layer of black cloud seemed to ribbon around her body, a new layer of red painting her face. Fuji even looked to be thrown by her instability. He whispered while returning a shot,

"Don't let them get to you, Shinku." Easier said than done.

Zaizen would push until it was evident that his judgment was true. He swallowed the giant pill of pride he held and became nauseated to what he was about to say,

"Oi, Fuji. Why don't pull down Yuzani-_chan's_ pants again?" Kaidoh whipped his head towards Zaizen and emitted a most venomous noise from his core. Zaizen could have just downright vomited at his own words; but he got what he wanted when he saw the cross-dresser halt abruptly. He was shaking, shivering, trembling. And then…

"You want to say that again, you no-good, low-life, ratty-ass, dirt-eating, son-of-a-bitch, damned bastard?!" Shinku raised her racquet above her head and smashed in against her knee, breaking the tool cleanly in half. She threw one half of the debris at the Shitenhoji members behind the fence, and the other at Fuji. She turned to her doubles partner with steam coming out of her nose and ears.

"I've had it! I, Yuzani Shinku, confess that I saw Yukimura, Yagyuu, Sanada, Niou, Atobe, Wakato, Kajimoto, Ryoma, Fuji and Kaidoh naked in the hot springs! And I got a damned nosebleed from it!" She tore the costume from her person so that she was just left with the rose bloomers and a formfitting black tank top with the straps tucked in. She untucked the straps and shoved her arms through them to cover her bandages.

A hurricane of clamor disintegrated the sound barrier as The Tanaka Twins and Shitenhoji fell to the ground in gut-wrenching laugher, even Zaizen couldn't stifled his chortles. Most of the Seigaku member stood, what was the word: astonished, amazed, dumbfounded?

They were speechless. And red. Every single shade of red found on the face of the earth was stitched to their faces, burning hotter than a line of suns. Ryoma was the first one who dared to speak,

"Wakato was right, Yuzani-senpai is a pervert." His words only spurned more laughter. He flinched when he heard Shinku roar like a dragon and stomp off the court with her hands clench in white violent fists. Fuji turned to the retreating girl and called through the gate with his usual devious smile.

"Shinku."

She turned to him murderously.

"Language."

...

**Author's Note:**

Fuji doesn't like a potty mouth.

Hope you enjoyed!


	36. Mine

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim/ own any characters from Prince of Tennis.

These are some fun filler chapters taking place after Kaidoh and Shinku's little tennis match.

…

Someone was always trying to steal their girls. _Always_. It was a constant, unyielding, indisputable fact: every single tennis player from every single team they came in contact with wanted to either date, kiss, touch, etc. their women.

Sakuno was by far the worst, because she was most compatible with any player. It caused Ryoma great head pains not only having to deal with his perverse senpais, but just about every other guy on the face of the earth. Curse her stupid braids and meek demeanor. Curse her beautifully matured body and curves—the same curves that held the stares of Atobe, Gakuto, Kojiro, Marui, Kintaro, oh just about everyone, even his own Eiji-senpai! And of course Sakuno was too damn sweet to put up a fight against the boy's 'friendliness.' Niou and Wakato were somehow even able to convince her that it was customary to go out with on a date with them—a serious one to boot—while she was going out with Ryoma. The nerve!

An was a close second, she had a natural ease with anything tennis, which attracted numerous males. Momo couldn't even count on his fingers and toes how many times he had to challenge Kamio to a tennis duel for her affection. And that was just Kamio! At least one or two guys from each team had attempted to court her, much to no avail. An was a little better when it came to rejecting anyone other than Momo.

Tomoka may have not had any ties to any of the Regulars, but Horio had made subtle advances on the girl. Tomoka had an exceedingly loud voice, putting off many players, yet her personality was endearing enough to get them to regularly chat with her.

Shinku may not have had the most appeal on the tennis teams, but she gave Kaidoh just as much trouble. She was attractive to the others due to the fact that she was different, she wasn't exceedingly girly. Kaidoh assumed that because she came off slightly masculine, the boys wanted to expel that hidden feminine side from her. The problem was that any other form affection she received from them she'd ordinarily gift with a punch or kick. Yet they came back for more. Were they gluttons for punishment?! Okay, granted her ivory hair was touchable—even the austere Sanada gave it a tousle after being prodded by Yukimura to do so—but couldn't they have just learned their lesson and left her alone?

None of them wanted to date her like they would have liked to do so with Sakuno. No, they merely wanted to touch her. All the time. Apparently it's fun to be scolded after giving her an affectionate hug, kiss, or hair ruffle. Sengoku was the worst offender—though he was for every girl—but Kouhei was the worst at rubbing it in Kaidoh's face. Shinku knew the Tanaka twins well enough to endure a friendly embrace, and Kouhei made sure to milk it for what it was worth. Bastard.

So maybe these four girls were the only females that the players were intimately familiar with, but did they really have to be the scapegoat for all of their affection? It was exhausting having to challenge each male to a tennis match so often that it became habit. The boys sat together in a circle after practice—after an obscene display of Rokkaku flirting with their females—and gathered to devise a plan to get the other players to cease their advances.

They could constantly follow around their girls, but that was too troublesome. They could brand them with permanent markers, but they didn't want to stain their beautiful skin. So what could they possibly do? They huddled in their small circle and proceeded to whisper furiously about who had it worst in dealing with the undesirable attention regarding their women.

Little did they know that merely a few yards away Sakuno, Shinku and An were elbow to elbow in their own circle, their brows knitted into a look of pure annoyance. An's voice rose towards the center of their circle,

"I swear, if I have to deal with one more of Momoshiro's fangirls."

Shinku interjected, "Somehow, Kaidoh is able to cultivate his own following comprised of first years with reptilian fetishes."

Sakuno had an uncharacteristically dark expression dressing her skin; she did not speak, she just locked their eyes with her own auburn glower. She was somehow able to make the thin tennis racquet in her grasp appear terribly menacing. Together they relayed their united realization,

_Someone was always trying to steal their man._

...

**Author's Note:**

Eh this one isn't the best, but it a filler nonetheless.

Bye bye!


End file.
